Plant‐Based Strategies for Microplastic Remediation: Opportunities, Mechanisms, and Challenges

ABSTRACT

Plastic waste generation has evolved into a critical environmental crisis, exerting severe ecological pressure on the global terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Concurrently, the environmental accumulation of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) has escalated due to widespread polymer consumption and systemic waste management inefficiencies. Developing sustainable, scalable remediation strategies is an ecological priority. Phytoremediation—the use of plants to clean up contaminated environments—can be effectively applied to mitigate MP pollution, offering advantages such as high efficiency, environmental friendliness, aesthetic appeal, and cost‐effectiveness. Although phytoremediation shows considerable potential for MP and NP remediation, its mechanisms and field‐scale applicability remain insufficiently explored. Hence, this review discusses the mechanisms of MP remediation and the environmental feasibility of adopting plant‐based systems for environmental plastic interception. By discussing the toxicological effects of MPs across multiple taxa, this paper establishes a baseline justification for the urgent need for environmental remediation. The mechanism of interaction between plants and MP/NP at the molecular level has been given special attention, and it was observed that plants rely on uptake, translocation, compartmentalization, and sometimes it stores MP along with other contaminants. Further, we evaluate the synergistic potential of plant‐microbe co‐remediation. To establish a closed‐loop framework, postremediation biomass management strategies are addressed, focusing on the thermochemical conversion of the contaminated biomass into biochar. Ultimately, plant‐based systems represent a promising component of integrated MP remediation strategies; however, significant mechanistic and scalability gaps remain, necessitating focused, interdisciplinary research to validate field‐scale implementation.