Abstract
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of two different pharmaceutical compounds (bezafibrate and paroxetine) on the phytoremediation potential of Phragmites australis in an estuarine medium contaminated by copper. Plants were exposed for seven days to a simplified estuarine medium, elutriate solution, with or without sediment. The medium was doped with copper and bezafibrate or paroxetine. P. australis plants were able to accumulate a significant amount of Cu, particularly in their roots (600 and 250 times increase in copper levels in the absence and presence of sediment, respectively), corroborating the phytostabilization potential of salt marsh plants. Metal uptake and translocation was significantly lower in the presence of sediment (Cu in leaves increased 20 times in the absence and only 4 times in the presence of sediment). An effect of either pharmaceutical compound on metal accumulation was not observed (levels of Cu in plants tissues were in general identical) but, in the presence of sediment, both bezafibrate and paroxetine changed Cu solubility in elutriate solution, either decreasing or increasing it. The current study highlights the possible influence the presence of contaminants of different characteristics (inorganic and organic contaminants) can have on salt marsh phytoremediation potential in the long run, and the effects pollutants might have in the environment.
Highlights
Estuarine areas are highly productive ecosystems and one of the most sensitive and fragile ecosystems on Earth [1]
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of two different pharmaceutical compounds on the phytoremediation potential of P. australis in an estuarine medium contaminated by copper
The results showed that selected salt marsh plants contributed to the retention of metals in sediments around their roots, i.e., their rhizosphere, as previously observed [21]
Summary
Estuarine areas are highly productive ecosystems and one of the most sensitive and fragile ecosystems on Earth [1] They suffer from high anthropogenic pressures, and several estuaries are often considered sinks for pollutants (metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, surfactants, etc.) receiving all type of contaminants from industrial and metropolitan areas [2]. These inputs can contain high concentrations of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, among others [3]. Their use by the general population leads to their presence in the wastewater entering WWTPs, for instance
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