Microplastics (MPs) are persistent contaminants widely distributed across aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments. Previous reviews have shown that MPs can carry pollutants and change their environmental behavior, but the field is now broad enough that a simple repetition of sources, adsorption mechanisms, and toxicity would add limited value. This review therefore organizes MPs–pollutant–interactions as a connected chain from sources and environmental pathways to interaction mechanisms, biological effects, and management actions. It summarizes the major MPs input pathways and representative polymer types across water, soil, and air, and then explains how partitioning, surface adsorption, desorption, and pore filling control the binding and release of pollutants. The review further discusses how MPs properties, pollutant characteristics, pollutant mixtures, biofilms/plastisphere, and environmental factors jointly regulate these processes. In addition, it evaluates the consequences of MPs-pollutant coupling for pollutant mobility, bioavailability, biodegradation, bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, ecological toxicity, and human exposure. Finally, the review links these processes with practical management needs, including wastewater treatment, sludge reuse, agricultural plastic control, atmospheric monitoring, environmental education, and long-term risk assessment. By bringing these topics into one framework, this review provides a clearer basis for understanding and managing MPs-associated mixed pollution in environmental systems.

Face masks are widely regarded as essential tools for preventing respiratory infectious diseases, with the incorporation of nanofibers and nanoparticles significantly enhancing their antimicrobial performance. However, the same nanotechnology that strengthens their protective function also introduces complex risks. The extensive use and improper disposal of single-use masks have led to substantial environmental pollution. Discarded masks act as inadvertent conduits, releasing engineered nanomaterials and nanoplastics into wastewater systems through weathering processes. This represents a new and growing source of nanoscale pollution, which may exert cumulative effects on marine organisms and pose potential ecological threats. In light of these concerns, this review systematically assesses the balance between human health benefits and environmental risks associated with nanotechnology-enabled masks in aquatic environments. Furthermore, we explore feasible strategies to address the safety issue, including the development of biodegradable nanomaterials, improved mask designs to reduce emissions, and enhanced end-of-life management. It is crucial to align the application of such advanced masks with a sustainable and acceptable risk–return framework, ensuring that public health advancements do not come at the expense of environmental integrity.

Heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes (HG-AOPs) can efficiently remove persistent pollutants but are constrained by catalyst deactivation from polymeric deposits and by energy- and chemical-intensive regeneration. We report a conductive packed-bed reactor that couples continuous treatment with in-situ electrochemical regeneration, maintaining high pollutant removal across diverse contaminants and complex matrices. Upon loss of activity due to catalyst deactivation, applying a mild current with low-cost H₂O₂ restores performance without reactor downtime. Mechanistic analyses show that electrochemical modulation lowers surface lipophobicity and weakens the interaction between polymeric products and the catalyst, enabling their desorption. Meanwhile, electrogenerated ^•OH promotes the coupling of residual phenolic polymers into insoluble aggregates and mineralizes quinoid compounds, recovering interfacial mass and electron transfer. Industrial coking wastewater can be continuously treated using a series-parallel reactor system, which alternates between oxidation and regeneration phases. This approach maintains over 80% total organic carbon removal efficiency for more than 300 hours of operation. Compared with conventional advanced oxidation processes, this strategy reduces operating costs by ~68%, minimizes external chemical inputs, and avoids high-temperature regeneration. The reactor architecture and regeneration logic are scalable, compatible with distributed deployments, and readily retrofittable to existing units, providing a sustainable pathway to extend catalyst lifetimes, lower resource intensity, and advance next-generation oxidation technologies.