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Molecular, Microbial, and Ecological Drivers of Duckweed Phytoremediation in Aquatic Environments
Summary
This review pulls together existing research on duckweed, a tiny floating plant that — with help from the bacteria living on it — can soak up toxic pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics from contaminated water. This matters because 80% of the world's wastewater goes untreated, and duckweed offers a cheap, natural cleanup option, though scientists still need to figure out how to safely handle the pollutant-laden plants afterward so contaminants don't just end up back in the environment or food chain.
Aquatic ecosystems are under severe stress from a diverse combination of contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics, driven by rapid industrialization, intensive agriculture, and urbanization. Globally, 80% of wastewater remains untreated, and conventional systems often fail to address emerging contaminants. Consequently, toxic heavy metals like lead and mercury can persist in water sources for decades. In response, phytoremediation has emerged as a scalable, eco-friendly, nature-based alternative. Among phytoremediation agents, duckweeds are increasingly recognized for their rapid growth, simple morphology, and continuous water-column contact. This review outlines the landscape of duckweed-based remediation, detailing molecular detoxification pathways and the synergistic role of associated microbiomes in enhancing environmental cleanup. Evidence indicates that contaminant removal is often supported by plant-microbe interactions. Despite extensive laboratory validation, field-scale implementation remains constrained by environmental complexity, pollutant mixtures, and variable climatic conditions. Furthermore, while duckweed systems hold promise within circular bioeconomy frameworks, converting wastewater into nutrient-rich biomass, contaminant accumulation in plant tissues raises concerns about biomass utilization and contaminant carryover. Addressing these challenges requires an integrative approach that links molecular detoxification, ecological interactions, and engineered system design to realize the full potential of duckweeds for sustainable aquatic pollution management.