A critical review of control and removal strategies for microplastics from aquatic environments

The ubiquitous appearance of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments brings about a growing concern for plastic pollution. Although the MPs occurrence, transportation, fate, and impacts have been summarized thoroughly, it calls for a better understanding of the control and removal strategies for aquatic MPs. Herein, we emphasized the positive effect of source control for MPs removal. Besides, we systematically reviewed the published removal technologies, including filtration, membrane technology, density separation, coagulation, agglomeration, adsorption removal, magnetic separation, oil film separation, froth flotation, and advanced oxidation processes. We also put forward potential challenges and possible improvement protocols for removal strategies and treatment processes of MPs. Exploring MPs characteristics may facilitate the removal technologies of MPs. A specific removal technology contributes to the high removal efficiency under experimental conditions, but in aquatic environments, a desirable extraction requires large-scale experiments. At last, the removal strategies of MPs can borrow separation methods with high-performance from other fields. [Display omitted] •The source control of microplastics is reviewed.•The removal technologies of microplastics are summarized systematically.•Possible advantages and obstacles of separation technologies are explored critically.•Multi separation technologies are introduced into microplastics removal.