Research progress on removal of phthalates pollutants from environment

• The methods of degrading PAEs in the environment are systematically summarized. • The degradation paths and mechanisms of three main removal methods are summarized. • The shortcomings of PAEs degradation are summarized. Phthalates were commonly used as plasticizers to improve the flexibility and processability of polymer materials, but their existence and removal in various environments had become a major problem. Phthalates had endocrine disrupting effects and affect human reproductive health and physical development. Therefore, the development of effective energy-saving technologies to remove harmful compounds from the environment was become more and more urgent and attracted attention. This article reviewed the use of titanium dioxide catalyst degradation, activated persulfate degradation, biodegradation and other popular solutions in recent years to achieve the removal and degradation of phthalates. A comprehensive review of titanium dioxide catalysts, persulfate activation methods, and different bacterial colonies reported in the literature in recent years was carried out. The degradation effects of different materials under different conditions were pointed out and compared. The degradation effects of different modification methods of the same material were compared in parallel. In particular, a comprehensive review of the removal of the four phthalate esters with the highest content in the atmosphere, water environment, and soil was launched. In addition, the degradation pathways and mechanisms of some representative literatures were also explained. Finally, the shortcomings and limitations of the current research were summarized, and the future development direction of removing phthalate pollutants was expected.