Journal article
Global Dynamics and Future Pathways of Marine Macroplastic Pollution: Bibliometric and Scenario-Based Analysis
Water, Vol.18(14), pp.1-25
15/07/2026
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Abstract
Marine macroplastics (MMP) generation is rising faster than existing management capacity, posing major ecological and governance challenges, particularly in developing coastal regions. This study applied bibliometric, social network, and S-curve analyses to evaluate 4870 publications on MMP pollution indexed in Scopus SCI and SSCI databases from 2001 to 2025 to achieve a systematic research evaluation, thematic focus, and future research direction. The results demonstrate that publication outputs have increased sharply from 20 in 2001 to 905 in 2025, with increasing focus on developing and optimizing recycling methods. Leading countries, including China, the U.S.A., and the U.K., with 577, 395, and 339 publications, respectively, reflect potential research activities and international collaboration. Keyword analysis identified marine pollution (475), macroplastic (frequency = 460), recycling technologies (frequency = 435), plastic recycling (403), and rivers (frequency = 326) as dominant research themes. Rivers remain the primary pathway for transporting macroplastics to marine environments, with the 20 largest rivers contributing the majority of global inputs, while smaller rivers in rapidly industrializing regions are becoming increasingly important. Per capita MMP generation was generally higher in high-income countries, including the U.S.A., Italy, Spain, France (0.5–0.75 kg/person), while lower in China and India (0.4–0.5 kg/person). S-curve analysis shows that physical and chemical recycling technologies, particularly open loop and pyrolysis, have reached a mature stage of development, whereas biological recycling remains an emerging research area with considerable future potential. Scenario analysis further suggests that targeted intervention strategies could reduce single-use plastic from 18.3 to 0.79 MMt by 2060, achieving up to 90% mitigation. Overall, findings demonstrate the urgent need for combined monitoring, technological innovations, and policy action to control marine plastic pollution to protect the marine ecosystem.
Details
- Title
- Global Dynamics and Future Pathways of Marine Macroplastic Pollution: Bibliometric and Scenario-Based Analysis
- Creators
- Lingyu Tai - Hainan UniversityKaikun Lu - Hainan UniversityLixin Zhu - East China Normal UniversityAqib Zahoor - Hainan UniversityYating Zhang - Hainan UniversityBore Abdoulaye - Hainan UniversityAmanda Reichelt-Brushett - Southern Cross UniversityWenchao Ma - Tianjin UniversityDavid Thompson - Flinders University
- Publication Details
- Water, Vol.18(14), pp.1-25
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Grant note
- This research received funding from the Hainan key R&D program (ZDYF2025SHFZ062), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52460017), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52300156), and the Natural Sciences Foundation of China (52370134).
- Identifiers
- 991013389890502368
- Copyright
- © 2026 by the authors.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article