As a new type of pollutant,microplastics pose a serious threat to water environment,aquatic animals and plants and human health due to their small particle size and stable chemical properties.At present,no standard separation method for microplastics has been formed.In this paper,through the review of state-of-the-art to domestic and abroad technologies related to the removal of microplastics,the physical separation,chemical separation,biological separation and emerging technologies in recent years were analyzed,and at the same time,the suitable working conditions and advantages and disadvantages of each technology were comprehensively expounded.Traditional physical separation,chemical separation and biological separation techniques have excellent separation effect on microplastics with large particle size,while cannot completely remove microplastics with particle size less than 20 μm.Although improved traditional technologies and emerging technologies can effectively remove microplastics,they have high costs and research gaps,and need further research and feasibility demonstration.Additionally,the future development of microplastic removal technology is prospected in this article.Through this review,it is helpful for researchers to understand the advantages and disadvantages of various types of microplastics separation methods,and provide reference for choosing appropriate separating/removal methods when dealing with different types of microplastics in practice.