Screening of Emerging Pollutants (EPs) in Estuarine Water and Phytoremediation Capacity of Tripolium pannonicum under Controlled Conditions

Abstract

The increasing number of pharmaceuticals in the environment and their difficult biodegradation, can lead to bioaccumulation in different trophic compartments. Their bioaccumulation can have negative consequences, especially in the generation of bacterial resistance by antibiotics, but also in the impairment of plant and animal metabolism. The Tejo estuary in Portugal is the habitat for many plant and animal species, which are also prone to this type of contamination. Therefore, in the present study different classes of emerging pollutants (EPs) were surveyed in water samples in the Tejo estuary, including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, lipid-lowering drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, beta-blockers and analgesics. According to the results, only four compounds were detected in water samples collected at the three selected salt marshes, including carbamazepine, fluoxetine hydrochloride, venlafaxine hydrochloride and acetaminophen. Having the detected substances as a basis, a subsequent study was performed aiming to investigate the uptake and biodegradation capacity of halophytes, using Tripolium pannonicum as a model plant cultivated under controlled conditions with different concentrations of the found EPs. This experimental approach showed that T. pannonicum was able to uptake and degrade xenobiotics. Moreover, the application of sulfamethazine, as a model antibiotic, showed also that this species can uptake and degrade this compound, although the degradation rate and process proved to be compound-specific. This was also confirmed using crude plant extracts spiked with the different EPs. Thus this species is a potential candidate for the remediation of marine water and sediments contaminated with environmentally-significant EPs.

A Literature Review of Wetland Treatment Systems Used to Treat Runoff Mixtures Containing Antibiotics and Pesticides from Urban and Agricultural Landscapes

“…Industrial byproducts were defined as contaminants that are commonly used in industry such as fragrances (e.g., cashmeran, dihydrojasmonate), plastic production (e.g., bisphenol A, di-n-butyl phthalate), dyes (e.g., uranine), corrosion inhibitors (e.g., benzotriazole), and de-icing fluids (e.g., 5-methyl-1Hbenzotriazole). While these contaminants were not the focus of the review, they were observed in the primary studies and are often found in runoff from urban and agricultural landscapes [80,99,101,103,112,137,151,213].…”

Growth Stage-, Organ- and Time-Dependent Salt Tolerance of Halophyte Tripolium pannonicum (Jacq.) Dobrocz.

“…Halophytes are one of the most suitable models of salt stress tolerance mechanisms, due to their salt resistance [ 3 ]. The newest reports indicated that halophytes have considerable potential for the restoration of salt contaminated lands and potential for the phytosanitation and phytoremediation of the soil [ 4 ].…”

Development and Validation of an RP-HPLC-PDA Method for Determination of Paracetamol, Caffeine and Tramadol Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulations

“…However, analytical determinations of these compounds not only apply to the drugs manufacturing process but also to forensic science and for quantification of prohibited substances in doping [ 2 ] or drug abuse issues [ 3 ]. In addition, the growing demand for these compounds [ 4 ], together with the misuse that the population makes of them, cause wide pollution of waters and soils [ 5 ]. Consequently, knowing the concentration levels of these compounds in the environment, the body fluids and pharmaceutical formulations, could help in optimizing their use, also avoiding harmful effects they can cause [ 6 ].…”