Smart Solution for Microplastics Removal
摘要
Microplastic pollution has become one of the emergent environmental issues of the twenty-first century and imposes serious hazards to the environment, ecological health, and socio-economic status. Traditional sewage treatment options do not always work to eradicate these recalcitrant particles, and there is a need to come up with innovative and sustainable solutions. This chapter discusses the topic of smart solutions to microplastic mitigation, including advanced materials, nanotechnology, bio-inspired techniques, and circular economy paths. The focus on natural solutions regarding algae-mediated flocculation, biofilms, and aquatic plants, as well as on artificial methods, such as magnetic nanoparticle-based separation processes, electrocoagulation, and membrane bioreactors, is paid particular attention. It is also established how green chemistry concepts and principles, eco-design, and industrial symbiosis could be integrated into the systems of microplastic management to create closed-loop and advanced regulators. The final section of the chapter includes policy and circular business models, which will be implicated in the future in an attempt at a holistic and sustainable focus on microplastic pollution and policymaking.