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Potential of an estuarine salt marsh plant (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud10751) for phytoremediation of bezafibrate and paroxetine

  • WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS
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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of a salt marsh plant and its rhizosphere microorganisms for the removal of two pharmaceutical compounds, bezafibrate and paroxetine, from estuarine environment. Plants were exposed for 7 days to a simplified estuarine medium, elutriate solution with or without sediment, doped with bezafibrate or paroxetine. Tests were done in absence and presence of nutrients or copper. Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud, alone or with the sediment microbial communities, contributed for pharmaceuticals removal. In the presence of P. australis, for paroxetine a 65% removal was observed. Removal increased up to 90% when sediment was present. For bezafibrate, removals reached ca. 47% in P. australis presence, increasing to ca. 70% when nutrients were added to the medium, indicating a good nutritional state can contribute for a higher compound removal. When Cu was added, 75% removal for bezafibrate and 95% removal for paroxetine were observed indicating the metal might influence the removal of the pharmaceuticals. Overall, the plant and its rhizosediments and associated microorganisms showed potential for pharmaceuticals removal from estuaries, eventually degrading the selected compounds, a feature requiring more research. Results indicate that phytoremediation could be a viable option for eliminating/diminishing the environmental impact of pharmaceutical compounds in estuarine areas.

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Acknowledgements

This research was partially supported by national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 and by the structured Program of R&D&I INNOVMAR—Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources, reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, namely within the Research Line ECOSERVICES (Assessing the environmental quality, vulnerability and risks for the sustainable management of the NW coast natural resources and ecosystem services in a changing world) within the R&D Institution CIIMAR (Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research), supported by the Northern Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal

    Sofia Dias, Bárbara Correia, Cristiana Silva, Carlos R. Gomes & C. Marisa R. Almeida

  2. Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Sofia Dias

  3. Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Alameda de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal

    Bárbara Correia & Paula C. Baptista

  4. Facultad de Biología, Campus Vida, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Calle Lope Gómez de Marzoa, s/n, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain

    Pedro Fraga-Santiago

  5. Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 790, 4150-171, Porto, Portugal

    Cristiana Silva & Carlos R. Gomes

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  1. Sofia Dias
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  2. Bárbara Correia
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  3. Pedro Fraga-Santiago
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  4. Cristiana Silva
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  5. Paula C. Baptista
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  6. Carlos R. Gomes
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  7. C. Marisa R. Almeida
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Correspondence to C. Marisa R. Almeida.

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Dias, S., Correia, B., Fraga-Santiago, P. et al. Potential of an estuarine salt marsh plant (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud10751) for phytoremediation of bezafibrate and paroxetine. Hydrobiologia 848, 3291–3304 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04245-7

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