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Removal of the pharmaceuticals ibuprofen and iohexol by four wetland plant species in hydroponic culture: plant uptake and microbial degradation

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Abstract

We aimed at assessing the effects of four wetland plant species commonly used in constructed wetland systems: Typha, Phragmites, Iris and Juncus for removing ibuprofen (IBU) and iohexol (IOH) from spiked culture solution and exploring the mechanisms responsible for the removal. IBU was nearly completely removed by all plant species during the 24-day experiment, whereas the IOH removal varied between 13 and 80 %. Typha and Phragmites were the most efficient in removing IBU and IOH, respectively, with first-order removal rate constants of 0.38 and 0.06 day−1, respectively. The pharmaceuticals were taken up by the roots and translocated to the aerial tissues. However, at the end of the experiment, plant accumulation constituted only up to 1.1 and 5.7 % of the amount of IBU and IOH spiked initially. The data suggest that the plants mainly function by facilitating pharmaceutical degradation in the rhizosphere through release of root exudates.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed within the Center for Advanced Water Purification funded by the Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF). The PhD fellowships of Yang Zhang and Tao Lv are supported by the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People’s Republic of China

    Yang Zhang & Zhanghe Chen

  2. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Yang Zhang, Tao Lv, Pedro N. Carvalho, Carlos A. Arias & Hans Brix

Authors
  1. Yang Zhang
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  2. Tao Lv
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  3. Pedro N. Carvalho
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  4. Carlos A. Arias
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  5. Zhanghe Chen
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  6. Hans Brix
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Pedro N. Carvalho or Zhanghe Chen.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Highlights

• Ibuprofen was nearly completely removed by all wetland plant species.

• Iohexol was recalcitrant with only 13 to 80 % removal depending on plant species.

• Both compounds were taken up by the roots and translocated to the aerial tissues.

• Removal was due to microbial degradation and plant uptake.

• Root exudates may play an important role for the degradation of iohexol.

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Zhang, Y., Lv, T., Carvalho, P.N. et al. Removal of the pharmaceuticals ibuprofen and iohexol by four wetland plant species in hydroponic culture: plant uptake and microbial degradation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 2890–2898 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5552-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5552-x

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