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Plastic and Microplastic Pollution in the Environment and Emerging Recycling Solutions

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 1698

Editors

Dr. Sabina Ziembowicz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszów University of Technology, AVE Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: environmental protection; organic micropollutants; oxidation processes; microplastic degradation
Dr. Małgorzata Kida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszów University of Technology, AVE Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: environmental protection; micropollutants；microplastics; aquatic ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plastic and microplastic pollution have emerged as critical global environmental issues due to the extensive use, persistence and improper disposal of plastic materials. Large plastic debris and microplastics contaminate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, posing significant risks to wildlife, ecosystem integrity and potentially human health through bioaccumulation and chemical exposure. Traditional mechanical recycling methods are constrained by the chemical diversity of plastic products, contamination of waste streams, low economic viability compared to virgin raw materials, degradation of material quality during recycling, insufficient recycling infrastructure, limited public awareness of proper waste segregation, ongoing microplastic emissions and the technical challenges associated with recycling multi-material packaging. Emerging recycling solutions—including chemical recycling, enzymatic and biological degradation, advanced sorting technologies and the development of biodegradable and bio-based plastics—offer promising pathways to enhance plastic recovery and reduce environmental impacts. Integrating these approaches within a circular economy framework, supported by effective policy measures and increased public awareness, is essential for mitigating plastic and microplastic pollution.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sabina Ziembowicz
Dr. Małgorzata Kida
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plastic pollution
  • microplastics
  • environmental contamination
  • microplastic degradation
  • transport and migration of microplastics in the environment
  • waste management
  • plastic recycling
  • biodegradable plastics
  • circular economy
  • sustainable materials
  • key legal acts on plastic and microplastic pollution

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

39 pages, 11624 KB  
Article
Plastic Recycling Innovation: Evidence from Patent Portfolios and Convergence
by Yeomyeong Ahn, Woojun Jung and Keuntae Cho
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 4625; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104625 - 7 May 2026
Viewed by 526
Abstract
Plastic recycling technologies are rapidly being reoriented toward process, operations, and quality-centered innovation, driven by the circular economy and digital transformation. Using 64,639 triadic patents (2005–2024), this study applies International Patent Classification (IPC) portfolio, co-occurrence network, and BERTopic analyses to compare technological structures [...] Read more.
Plastic recycling technologies are rapidly being reoriented toward process, operations, and quality-centered innovation, driven by the circular economy and digital transformation. Using 64,639 triadic patents (2005–2024), this study applies International Patent Classification (IPC) portfolio, co-occurrence network, and BERTopic analyses to compare technological structures before and after 2015. Since 2015, data- and AI-enabled sorting and process optimization (IPC class G06), tracking and connectivity (IPC class H04), collection and logistics (IPC class B65), water treatment (IPC class C02), and quality modification/compounding (IPC class C09) have expanded, while organic chemistry (IPC class C07), signal-processing circuitry (IPC class H03), and petroleum/fuel conversion (IPC class C10) have declined. G06 and H04 together account for approximately 29% of the total portfolio and record the largest share increases (+1.63 and +1.28 percentage points); water treatment (C02F) and quality correction (C09K) expand by 0.62 and 0.38 percentage points, while organic chemistry (C07) shows the largest decline (−2.16 percentage points). Topic modeling identifies 10 topics in 2005–2014 and 11 in 2015–2024, with the later period newly featuring reverse logistics for reusable packaging, remanufacturing, chemical recycling for packaging, and data sources. Cross-domain network linkages rise from 49 to 68, with processing–logistics and post-treatment–standardization combinations showing the strongest structural strengthening. Industrially, these findings offer reference signals for firms aligning R&D and IP portfolios with domains of concentrated innovation, particularly AI-enabled sorting, digital connectivity, and feedstock quality correction. For policy, the strengthening of cross-domain linkages suggests that support for sorting infrastructure, traceability and data standards, and quality certification frameworks targets where R&D effort is most concentrated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic and Microplastic Pollution in the Environment and Emerging Recycling Solutions)
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33 pages, 9256 KB  
Article
Mitigating Post-Recycling Plastic Waste Pollution Through Co-Hydrothermal Liquefaction with Freshwater Algal Biomass: Pathways to Biofuel and High-Value Products as Resource Recovery: Chi River, Thailand
by Sukanya Hongthong, Piyanan Kankhwao, Saranyu Kohaeoklang, Kowit Suwannahong, Torpong Kreetachat, Saksit Imman, Nopparat Suriyachai, Wipada Dechapanya, Wipawee Dechapanya, Panarat Phadee and Surachai Wongcharee
Sustainability 2026, 18(6), 2962; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18062962 - 17 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 857
Abstract
Post-recycling plastic waste contamination in freshwater ecosystems represents an escalating environmental threat, while algal blooms continue to generate vast quantities of underutilized biomass. Addressing both challenges, this study investigated the co-hydrothermal liquefaction of Chlorella pyrenoidosa with representative post-recycling plastic wastes polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, [...] Read more.
Post-recycling plastic waste contamination in freshwater ecosystems represents an escalating environmental threat, while algal blooms continue to generate vast quantities of underutilized biomass. Addressing both challenges, this study investigated the co-hydrothermal liquefaction of Chlorella pyrenoidosa with representative post-recycling plastic wastes polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and Nylon-6 as a dual-resource valorization strategy. Experiments were conducted in a 1000 mL high-pressure batch reactor at 350 °C for 30 min, with varying biomass-to-plastic feed ratios. Systematic product characterization, including functional group, elemental analysis, Van Krevelen diagrams, and heating value assessment, was employed to elucidate synergistic effects and evaluate product quality. Results revealed that co-processing with polyethylene terephthalate achieved the highest biocrude yield of 71.5%, with an enhanced higher heating value of 35.7 MJ kg−1, surpassing the 62.4% yield from microalgae alone. Nylon-6 blends also improved oil yield to 69.6% while producing aqueous fractions enriched with ε-caprolactam, indicating the recovery of valuable nitrogenous monomers. In contrast, PP exhibited limited reactivity toward oil generation but produced carbon-rich biochar with a higher heating value up to 41.4 MJ kg−1, comparable to high-grade solid fuels. Mechanistic analyses confirmed that plastics acted as hydrogen donors, promoting deoxygenation, radical stabilization, and selective depolymerization, thereby improving both liquid and solid fuel fractions. By employing ecologically relevant freshwater feedstocks from Thailand, this work advances beyond prior studies dominated by marine biomass or synthetic surrogates, providing realistic insights into resource integration within polluted inland waters. The co-hydrothermal liquefaction process simultaneously mitigates eutrophication-driven algal blooms and persistent plastic pollution while generating fuels and functional carbon materials, directly contributing to a circular bioeconomy. The demonstrated synergy between biological and synthetic wastes highlights a scalable, catalyst-free route to energy-dense biofuels and multifunctional biochar. These outcomes align strongly with SDG which offer a pragmatic framework for waste-to-energy transition in freshwater-dependent regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plastic and Microplastic Pollution in the Environment and Emerging Recycling Solutions)
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