Microplastics prevalence, interactions, and remediation in the aquatic environment: A critical review

Microplastics (MPs) have been seen over recent years as a major water contaminant with significant potential for adverse health and animal health effects. Natural attenuation has little impact, and traditional treatment processes are unable to fully eliminate MPs, which have been reported to accumulate in the ecosystem, in aquatic food web species, and humans; Aquatic plants can accumulate MPs in their tissues, thereby possibly transferring the accumulated MPs to higher trophic levels through the food chain. This review provides explanations for the interaction between community composition in the aqueous ecosystem and MPs. MPs could act as vectors for persistent organic/inorganic pollutants in the natural environment. As a result of MPs interaction with pollutants of emerging concern and/or heavy metals, enhanced toxicity has been summarized; MPs can accommodate several contaminants onto their surface due to the high adsorption potentiality. It is imperative to understand the occurrence and prevalence of MPs in the aquatic environment. limitations in reproducing real conditions for MPs occurrence in environmental matrices (composition, size, concentration) was observed due to their interaction with different pollutants, therefore, very few studies have been carried out about MPs remediation, and there is a paucity of information, especially on the designed techniques to remove MPs from wastewater efficiently. Efficient technologies like floatation, filtration, and membrane separation have been discussed considering their merits and demerits.

Automated summary

Microplastics are considered a major water contaminant with potential adverse health effects on humans and animals, especially their accumulation in aquatic plant tissues. Interactions between MPs and various pollutants can enhance toxicity, emphasizing the importance of understanding their occurrence and prevalence in the aquatic environment.