This study assessed the accumulation of Cd (II), Hg (II), Cr (VI) and Pb (II) in Gynerium sagittatum (Gs), Colocasia esculenta (Ce) and Heliconia psittacorum (He) planted in constructed wetlands treating synthetic landfill leachate. Sixteen bioreactors were operated in two experimental blocks. Metal concentrations in the influent and effluent; root, stem, branch and leaves of plants were analysed, as well as COD, N-NH4+, TKN, T, pH, ORP, DO, and EC. Average removal efficiencies of COD, TKN and NH4+-N were 66, 67 and 72%, respectively and heavy metal removal ranged from 92 to 98% in all units. Cr (VI) was not detected in any effluent sample. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) were 10(0) -10(2). The BCF of Cr (VI) was the lowest: 0.59 and 2.5 (L kg(-1)) for Gs and He respectively; whilst Cd (II) had the highest (130-135 L kg(-1)) for Gs. Roots showed a higher metal content than shoots. Translocation factors (TF) were lower, He was the plant exhibiting TFs>1 for Pb (II), Cr (T) and Hg (II) and 0.4-0.9 for Cd (II) and Cr (VI). The evaluated plants demonstrate their suitability for phytoremediation of landfill leachate and all of them can be categorized as metals accumulators.

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This study evaluated the capacity of a pilot-scale high-rate algal pond (HRAP) to remove pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) from domestic wastewater in the city of Santiago de Cali, Colombia. The compounds analyzed included antiepileptics, hypolipidemic drugs, tranquilizers and analgesics, and anti-inflammatory drugs. The HRAP operated under a continuous water flow of 0.2 m3d−1 and a 3-day hydraulic retention time (HRT). Removal efficiencies were high (>70%) for fenofibric acid, ibuprofen, and paracetamol; medium (30–70%) for gabapentin, lamotrigine, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, diclofenac, ketoprofen, naproxen, and pentoxifylline; and low (<30%) for carbamazepine and its metabolite 10,11-Dihidro-10,11-dihidroxicarbamazepine (CBZ-Diol). The findings herein are similar to other studies, but were obtained with a shorter HRT. These results show that tropical environmental conditions favor photodegradation and contribute to the development of microalgae and the biodegradation process. Twenty microalgae species were identified, with the Phylum Chlorophyta as the most abundant, particularly due to its natural introduction. The removal of the PCs also reflected a percentage reduction (>50%) in the ecological hazard posed by most of the compounds, although it is important to note that the hazard from gemfibrozil and ibuprofen remained high even after treatment, indicating the need for complementary treatment.

Taxonomy and species richness estimates for the genus Caulerpa have proven challenging due to the difficulty of assessing morphological species limits. In the present study we evaluate the taxonomy of the genus and assess species distributions in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), based on morphology and tufA sequence data. Molecular analyses revealed  six species-level clades: C. verticillata, C. sertularioides, C. cupressoides, C. serrulata, C. racemosa and C. chemnitzia (part of C. racemosa-peltata complex). Our results reduce species richness estimates throughout the ETP by over 54% (from 13 to 6). In accordance with recent studies, our morphological and DNA results warrant the recognition of C. chemnitzia to comprise the morphological entities C. laetevirens, C. peltata and C. vanbossea complex. We continue the use of ecads as a practical identification tool for morphological diversity below the species level present in the ETP. In addition we formally recognize the synonymy of C. racemosa var. macrophysa with the lineage of C. racemosa proposed in recent studies. The six species of Caulerpa found in this study are of pantropical in distribution. Within the ETP region, four species have restricted distributions (C. verticillata, C. cupressoides, C. serrulata, C. racemosa), while two show a wide latitudinal distribution (C. chemnitzia and C. sertularioides).

Benthic marine algae of Gorgona island, Colombian Pacific coast. The knowledge of the biodiversity of Gorgona, a continental island in Colombia, is very limited in the case of algae. We present an updated list of the benthic marine algae of Gorgona island, associated with different marine environments and type of substrates, such as coral reefs, rocks, and soft bottoms. Field samplings were taken between October 2010 and June 2011. We estimated algal cover, species composition and algal diversity for each reef environment using 0.25 m 2 quadrats. Ecological and environmental aspects are also included. A total of 43 species of algae for the three types of habitats are documented: 24 Rhodophyta, 12 Clorophyta, six Ochrophyta and one species of Cyanobacteria, and 55% of the algal composition corresponded to red algae.

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BACKGROUND The presence of pharmaceutical compounds has been studied in several countries in Latin America, and many xenobiotic compounds have been identified in wastewater, surface water and even drinking water, including ibuprofen and diclofenac. Microalgal‐based systems have been identified as a good alternative for removing these micropollutants, particularly under tropical conditions, and they are associated with low operational cost and high removal efficiency. Although studies for removing pharmaceutical compounds with Parachlorella kessleri are scarce, this microalga has demonstrated good performance in the treatment of wastewater. RESULTS Using doses of ibuprofen of 1000 and 16 000 μg L−1 and of diclofenac of 100 and 500 μg L−1, the removal efficiency of P. kessleri was evaluated under controlled conditions for periods of 12, 48 and 96 h during cell growth. A hormesis process was identified after an alarm phase at the first 12 h and a recovery at 48 h for ibuprofen, because the diclofenac curve achieved an early death phase, which was associated with oxidative damage. Total removal of up to 51.3% and 55.7% was obtained for ibuprofen and diclofenac, respectively. These removal efficiencies were mostly influenced by microalgae by the process of bioaccumulation/adsorption (23.3% for ibuprofen and 37.1% for diclofenac) and by other mechanisms (40.6% for ibuprofen and 44% for diclofenac). CONCLUSION Removal efficiencies were mainly associated with the presence of microalgae and removal mechanisms such as bioaccumulation and biodegradation for diclofenac, and biodegradation for ibuprofen. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

The spatial and temporal variation of biomass of mangroveassociated macroalgae growing on roots of Rhizophora. mangle and pneumatophores of Avicennia. germinans were studied at three sampling stations in Buenaventura bay, Colombia, between November 1999 and September 2003. Eighteen species of algae were collected including nine Rhodophyceae, five Chlorophyceae and four Cyanophyta (Cyanobacteria). Four species dominated the algal flora and collectively contributed with 90 % of the total algal biomass. Bostrychia calliptera was the most dominant with 32 % of the total biomass, followed by Boodleopsis verticillata (26 %), Catenella impudica (18 %), and Caloglossa leprieurii (12 %). Algal biomass between seasons showed significant differences, with higher biomass found during the dry season compared to those of the rainy season. The algal biomass at the mouth of the estuary was significantly higher than that found in the inner areas of the estuary (annual means of 30.7 ± 10.8 vs. 13.8 ± 4.1 g m-2 respectively).Three well-defined vertical zones were observed, based on algal biomass: A narrow upper zone, dominated by B. calliptera; a wide middle zone, with mixed populations of C. impudica and B. calliptera, registering annual mean of 86.8 ± 24.1 g m-2, and a bottom zone, dominated by C. leprieurii and B. verticillata. The results indicated that water level inundation and the vertical position along the roots seem to be the most important factors influencing the algal biomass.