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Effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics on the growth characteristics of Chlorella vulgaris HL01
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Laboratory experiments showed that polyvinyl chloride microplastics inhibited growth of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris at moderate concentrations but paradoxically promoted growth at very high concentrations (300–400 mg/L), with antioxidant enzyme activities and cell morphology confirming a biphasic dose-response. Understanding how PVC microplastics affect primary producers like microalgae is critical because phytoplankton underpin aquatic food webs and oxygen production, so even modest disruptions can cascade through ecosystems.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants which pose increasingly severe threats to the global environment. To understand the potential impacts of MPs pollution on aquatic ecosystems, numerous studies have investigated the toxic effects of MPs on microalgae. However, there is still no definitive conclusion regarding the specific impacts of different concentrations of MPs on microalgal growth. To clarify the specific impacts of different concentrations of MPs on microalgal growth, this study focused on how varying polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) concentrations (particularly high levels) affect Chlorella vulgaris HL01 (C. vulgaris HL01) growth. The experimental results indicate that low concentrations of PVC-MPs (50 mg/L and 100 mg/L) exert a slight inhibitory effect on the growth of C. vulgaris HL01. Higher concentrations (200 mg/L) show an increasingly potent inhibitory effect over time, with an inhibition rate reaching up to 34%. Additionally, at concentrations of 300 mg/L and 400 mg/L, PVC-MPs initially inhibited the growth of C. vulgaris HL01, which was followed by a promoting effect. This biphasic effect was further corroborated by analyses of key active enzyme concentrations, three-dimensional fluorescence spectral analysis, and characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. These findings provide a reference research basis for analyzing the specific impacts of PVC-based MPs on the growth of Chlorella in aquatic environments.
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Researchers showed that microplastics inhibit growth, reduce chlorophyll and photosynthetic efficiency, and trigger oxidative stress in the freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting the species could serve as a bioindicator for aquatic microplastic contamination.
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Researchers exposed the freshwater alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa to polystyrene and PVC microplastics across three size ranges for 14 days, finding that smaller particles caused greater growth inhibition — up to 43% — and that algae responded by secreting extracellular polymers and forming aggregates to resist the particles.
A short-term preliminary experimental study on the effect of microplastics on Chlorella vulgaris and duckweeds
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Researchers exposed freshwater algae and duckweed — both important food sources for fish and humans — to microplastics and found that even small amounts inhibited growth and reduced photosynthetic pigments. This suggests that microplastic contamination in water could disrupt the base of aquatic food chains that people depend on.
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Polylactic acid microplastics — made from a supposedly biodegradable plastic — inhibited the growth, photosynthesis, and swimming ability of a marine microalgae species, with genes controlling flagella and photosynthesis both suppressed. This matters because microalgae form the base of marine food chains, and even 'eco-friendly' bioplastics can cause real ecological harm as they break down.
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