Chitosan polymer and composites Hydrogels: An Emerging Approach for Microplastic Elimination from Water

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Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | 04 | Page :
By

Nidhi Jain,

Nidhi Deepak Sharma,

Madhavi Sachin Jadhav,

Shubhangi B. Narde,

Trupti Pawar,

Rajkumar Panchal,

Kartik Dani,

Madhushree Warke,

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Science, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Lavale, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  2. Professor, Department Engineering Science, Jayawantrao Sawant College of Engineering Hadapsar Pune, Maharashtra, India
  3. Principal, Rajarshi Shahu Commerce and Science College, Wagholi, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  4. Associate Professor, Department of Science, S. S. Girls’s College, Gondia, Maharashtra, India
  5. Professor, Department of Engineering Science, Jayawantrao Sawant College of Engineering Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  6. Professor, Department of Engineering Science, Jayawantrao Sawant College of Engineering Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  7. Student, Department of Computer Science, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Lavale, Pune, Maharashtra, India
  8. Student, Department of Computer Science, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Lavale, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Hydrogel is a polymer network which can retain huge volumes of water but still retains its shape because of its special chemical formula. Recently, hydrogels have become an object of great interest for environmental remediation due to the possibility of controlling their physicochemical properties in the case of removal of microplastics. The current work reviews and analyzes the efficiency of application of conventional coagulation systems based on chitosan and new hydrogel-based systems for microplastic separation. Chitosan is a degradable natural polymer which provides successful microplastic separation using electrostatic charge neutralization and interparticle bridging with removal efficiency from 68.3% to 99.9%. Moreover, a three-dimensional pGel@IPN hydrogel system based on chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyaniline showed up to 95% removal of polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene microplastics at around pH 6.5, along with retention of its effectiveness in multiple reutilization cycles. Besides, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of copper-substituted polyoxometalate (Cu-POM) hydrogel systems is very high when used under ultraviolet radiation; additionally, the unique property of such hydrogels is their conversion into valuable carbon nanomaterials following utilization. From the comparative study, it can be concluded that although chitosan-coagulation methods are cheap and effective in water treatment applications, hydrogels are more reusable, environmentally friendly, and can be utilized for removal and degradation of microplastics simultaneously.

Keywords: Hydrogels, Advanced Hydrogels, Synthesis, Properties, Multifaceted Applications, Microplastics.

How to cite this article: Nidhi Jain, Nidhi Deepak Sharma, Madhavi Sachin Jadhav, Shubhangi B. Narde, Trupti Pawar, Rajkumar Panchal, Kartik Dani, Madhushree Warke. Chitosan polymer and composites Hydrogels: An Emerging Approach for Microplastic Elimination from Water. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(04):-.
How to cite this URL: Nidhi Jain, Nidhi Deepak Sharma, Madhavi Sachin Jadhav, Shubhangi B. Narde, Trupti Pawar, Rajkumar Panchal, Kartik Dani, Madhushree Warke. Chitosan polymer and composites Hydrogels: An Emerging Approach for Microplastic Elimination from Water. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(04):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=252414

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Ahead of Print Subscription Review Article
Volume 14
04
Received 30/07/2026
Accepted 10/08/2026
Published 14/08/2026
Publication Time 15 Days

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