Recent Catalytic Technologies for Microplastics Removal in Water: Current status

Microplastics (MPs) have grown to be a common environmental issue because they are frequently found in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Their resistance to degradation allows them to endure for decades or even centuries, posing a threat to aquatic life and human health. Therefore, designing effective strategies to remove them from the environment is one of the most urgent environmental concerns. We has focused on the current abundance of MPs in different water bodies in this review article, and investigated the developments of catalysts, including eletrocatalysts, photocatalysts, and biocatalysts, for removing MPs. Among them, photocatalysis and microbial degradation technologies are widely investigated, showing promise at laboratory scale for the transformation of MPs to water-soluble hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, offering the potential for long-term water security and ecological stability, and deserving further attention. Additionally, the challenges involved in the MP treatment and future prospective have been emphasized.