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. 2024 Apr 16;3(3):260-265.
doi: 10.1016/j.eehl.2024.04.001. eCollection 2024 Sep.

The power of green: Harnessing phytoremediation to combat micro/nanoplastics

Wenke Yuan  1   2   3 , Elvis Genbo Xu  4 , Soha Shabaka  5 , Peng Chen  1   2   3 , Yuyi Yang  1   2   3
Affiliations

The power of green: Harnessing phytoremediation to combat micro/nanoplastics

Wenke Yuan et al. Eco Environ Health. .

Abstract

Plastic pollution and its potential risks have been raising public concerns as a global environmental issue. Global plastic waste may double by 2030, posing a significant challenge to the remediation of environmental plastics. In addition to finding alternative products and managing plastic emission sources, effective removal technologies are crucial to mitigate the negative impact of plastic pollution. However, current remediation strategies, including physical, chemical, and biological measures, are unable to compete with the surging amounts of plastics entering the environment. This perspective lays out recent advances to propel both research and action. In this process, phytoaccumulation, phytostabilization, and phytofiltration can be applied to reduce the concentration of nanoplastics and submicron plastics in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments, as well as to prevent the transport of microplastics from sources to sinks. Meanwhile, advocating for a more promising future still requires significant efforts in screening hyperaccumulators, coupling multiple measures, and recycling stabilized plastics from plants. Phytoremediation can be an excellent strategy to alleviate global micro/nanoplastic pollution because of the cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability of green technologies.

Keywords: Environmental sustainability; Hyperaccumulator; Microplastics; Remediation strategies; Technical advances.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Current strategies and limitations of plastic remediation mainly involve physical, chemical, and biological measures.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Illustrative examples of the phytoremediation of plastics. Plants may reduce the concentration and/or transportation of micro/nanoplastics in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments by phytoaccumulation, phytostabilization, and phytofiltration.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Possible mechanisms and technological process of micro/nanoplastics phytoremediation. The plastics absorbed and intercepted by plants can be recycled through different processes for incineration power generation, reuse, or degradation through other chemical and biological measures.
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