A critical review on microplastics, interaction with organic and inorganic pollutants, impacts and effectiveness of advanced oxidation processes applied for their removal from aqueous matrices

Abstract Microplastics have become a hot topic in the scientific community as they promote adverse effects to living beings. Various analytical tools must be used simultaneously for identification and characterization of microplastics and their transformation products in environmental compartments. Despite limitations associated to the reproduction of real conditions of microplastics occurrence in environmental matrices (composition, size, concentration), increased toxicity has been observed as a consequence of their interaction with contaminants of emerging concern and/or heavy metals. Yet, some factors (i.e., pH, particle age and size of microplastic, among others) may affect this phenomenon. Membrane filtration and coagulation-flocculation-settling treatments are non-destructive, needing an additional step to degrade microplastics. Biological treatment has been demonstrated as unsatisfactory (