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Effects of antibiotics on aquatic plant growth and removal of antibiotics by plants in water containing microplastics
Summary
Researchers found that certain aquatic plants, especially Canna indica (a common ornamental plant), can help remove antibiotic pollution from water, even when microplastics are also present, though the plastics do make the cleanup somewhat less effective (10-20% weaker). This matters because antibiotics and microplastics are increasingly showing up together in rivers and lakes, and finding cost-effective, natural ways to filter them out could help protect drinking water sources and reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment.
Phytoremediation is widely used for water pollution control. The effect of antibiotics on aquatic plants and their removal by plants in water containing microplastics is unknown. Four aquatic plants were used for hydroponic tests to analyze the effect of antibiotics on the plant growth and their removal by plants in water containing low-density polyethylene microplastics (LDPE-MPs). The results indicated that under LDPE-MP stress, antibiotics at < 100 μg·L−1 promoted plant heights and leaf chlorophyll contents, while antibiotics at > 100 μg·L−1 had inhibitory effects; the ability of plants to remove antibiotics was Canna indica > Myriophyllum verticillatum > Pontederia cordata > Nymphaea tetragona; the plants with the best removal of norfloxacin, sulfadiazine and hygromycin at 100 μg·L−1 were Myriophyllum verticillatum, Canna indica and Canna indica, with removal rates of 51.7%, 51.4% and 52.9%, respectively; the antibiotic accumulation in plant tissues was root > stem > leaf; the rhizosphere microbial diversity decreased with increasing antibiotic concentrations, while Aeromonas, Bacillus, Lysinibacillus, Providencia, and Staphylococcus increased. LDPE-MP stress resulted in a 10∼20% decrease in antibiotic removal by plants. The findings suggest that the use of Canna indica can be prioritised to remove antibiotics from the water containing microplastics.