Microplastics in the Ecosystem: A Systematic Review of the Methods for Their Detection and Removal

Abstract

Currently, research on microplastics (MPs) has increased due to their rapid distribution throughout the world and their harmful effects on the ecosystem. However, a detailed description of their dispersion and the methods for both detection and removal has not been given. The objective of this research is to carry out a bibliographic review that allows for a multidisciplinary analysis of microplastic contamination and current detection and removal methods. The method used is PRISMA in which articles from reliable databases such as Scopus, Web of science, and Google Scholar were collected and analyzed to finally provide details on the physical and chemical methods for detecting MPs, in addition to presenting the technologies for their removal. As a result of the analysis, critical information was obtained from the different studies on the impact of MPs on the ecosystem and the variation in detection and removal efficiency according to the type of pretreatment and methods applied to the sample. It is concluded that this research is essential to understand the consequences that MPs have on the ecosystem and provide tools to evaluate and improve current technologies, mainly detection and removal.