Advanced Catalytic and Hybrid Biomass-Based Materials for Microplastic Removal and Oxidative Degradation in Aquatic Environments
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Microplastic remediation by catalytic materials is challenged by the chemical resistance of polymers and by the difficulty of distinguishing particle capture from actual polymer conversion. This review critically examines biomass-derived carbons, biochars, silica-rich residues, biogenic ligands, and hybrid catalysts for aquatic microplastic treatment. Rather than comparing reported removal percentages alone, it organizes the evidence along a sequence from particle transport and interfacial contact to surface oxidation, fragmentation, depolymerization, and mineralization. It evaluates photocatalytic, Fenton-like, persulfate-activation, electrochemical, and integrated approaches while distinguishing direct evidence obtained with biomass-containing catalysts from mechanisms inferred from conventional benchmark systems. Across the literature, catalyst composition and porosity may improve adsorption or reactive-species generation, but these properties do not by themselves establish polymer-carbon conversion. Reliable claims require polymer-specific characterization, particle-size analysis, transformation-product identification, carbon balances, and assessment of catalyst leaching and toxicity. The review identifies the need for reproducible reporting, tests in realistic water matrices, and life-cycle and techno-economic evaluation before sustainability or scale-up advantages can be established. Data-driven catalyst design may help prioritize formulations, provided that sufficiently comparable experimental datasets become available.
Source: Catalysts
Author: Aminur Rahman
Institution: King Faisal University
Language: English
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,654
OpenAlex ID: W7225783172