Physical, thermal, chemical and biological approaches for plastics degradation–A review

Abstract

Microplastics are pervasive pollutants in soil and water that break down slowly. Microplastics can adsorb other pollutants and have a high stability, long life time, and high fragmentation potential. The widespread presence of microplastics and their possible ecological effects make their removal from the environment a critical issue at the moment. This makes it necessary to find ways to eliminate micro plastics from the water and other media. Here, we go over numerous approaches have been put forth and examined in an effort to tackle this problem. Chemical, physical, and biological techniques are used in removal processes. The primary breakdown of microplastics by bacteria, fungi, algae, and macrophytes is the main function of biological methods. Physical methods include membrane technology, adsorption, centrifugation, sedimentation, and filtration techniques. Chemical techniques contain the plasma treatment, Fenton and photo-Fenton process and thermal degradation. Every technique has benefits and drawbacks, which emphasizes the requirement for integrated strategies catered to various environmental conditions and microplastic kinds. The main topics we covered were the mechanisms, effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of different removal techniques.