Urgent action is needed to tackle microplastic pollution in aquatic environments. Prioritizing physical capture over degradation can mitigate environmental and health risks, and valorizing captured microplastics into valuable materials could contribute to a circular carbon economy.
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The Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project (DP220101139) and Linkage Project (LP240100542) are acknowledged for support.
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Chen, Z., Wei, W. & Ni, BJ. Prioritizing capture and utilization for microplastic management in water systems. Nat. Rev. Clean Technol. 1, 525–527 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44359-025-00064-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44359-025-00064-y