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Huang J, Wang H, Xue X, Zhang R. Impacts of microplastic and seawater acidification on unicellular red algae: Growth response, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzymes, and extracellular polymer substances. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2024; 272:106960. [PMID: 38761586 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.106960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) pollution and seawater acidification have increasingly become huge threats to the ocean ecosystem. Their impacts on microalgae are of great importance, since microalgae are the main primary producers and play a critical role in marine ecosystems. However, the impact of microplastics and acidification on unicellular red algae, which have a unique phycobiliprotein antenna system, remains unclear. Therefore, the impacts of polystyrene-MPs alone and the combined effects of MPs and seawater acidification on the typical unicellular marine red algae Porphyridium purpureum were investigated in the current study. The result showed that, under normal seawater condition, microalgae densities were increased by 17.75-41.67 % compared to the control when microalgae were exposed to small-sized MPs (0.1 μm) at concentrations of 5-100 mg L-1. In addition, the photosystem II and antioxidant enzyme system were not subjected to negative effects. The large-sized MPs (1 μm) boosted microalgae growth at a low concentration of MPs (5 mg L-1). However, it was observed that microalgae growth was significantly inhibited when MPs concentration increased up to 50 and 100 mg L-1, accompanied by the remarkably reduced Fv/Fm value and the elevated levels of SOD, CAT enzymes, phycoerythrin (PE), and extracellular polysaccharide (EPS). Compared to the normal seawater condition, microalgae densities were enhanced by 52.11-332.56 % under seawater acidification, depending on MPs sizes and concentrations, due to the formed CO2-enrichment condition and appropriate pH range. PE content in microalgal cells was significantly enhanced, but SOD and CAT activities as well as EPS content markedly decreased under acidification conditions. Overall, the impacts of seawater acidification were more pronounced than MPs impacts on microalgae growth and physiological responses. These findings will contribute to a substantial understanding of the effects of MPs on marine unicellular red microalgae, especially in future seawater acidification scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianke Huang
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center for Marine Bio-resources Sustainable Utilization, College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China.
| | - Hanlong Wang
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center for Marine Bio-resources Sustainable Utilization, College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
| | - Xiwen Xue
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center for Marine Bio-resources Sustainable Utilization, College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
| | - Ruizeng Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center for Marine Bio-resources Sustainable Utilization, College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
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Wang H, Luo L, Yan B, Luo S. Mechanism of microplastics effects on the purification of heavy metals in piggery effluents by microalgae. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 351:124028. [PMID: 38677456 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Microalgae is an effective bioremediation technique employed for treating piggery effluent. However, there is insufficient study on how the presence of microplastics (MPs) in wastewater affects the ability of microalgae to remove heavy metals from piggery effluent. This study aims to investigate the influence of two prevalent heavy metals found in piggery wastewater, Cu2+ (2 mg/L) and Zn2+ (2 mg/L), on their removal by microalgae (Desmodesmus sp. CHX1) in the presence of four types of MPs: polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The results revealed that smaller particle size MPs promoted chlorophyll accumulation, while larger particles inhibits it. Additionally, higher concentrations of MPs promoted chlorophyll accumulation, while lower concentrations inhibited it. As for heavy metals, the presence of microplastics reduced the removal efficiency of Cu2+ and Zn2+ by Desmodesmus sp. CHX1. The highest inhibition of Cu2+ was 30%, 10%, 19%, and 16% of the control (CK), and the inhibition of Zn2+ was 7%, 4%, 4%, and 13%, respectively, under the treatments of PE, PVC, PP and PET MPs. Furthermore, Desmodesmus sp. CHX1 can secrete more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and form heterogeneous aggregates with MPs to counteract their pressure. These findings elucidate the impact of MPs on microalgae in bioremediation settings and offer useful insights into the complex relationships between microalgae, MPs, and heavy metals in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Wang
- College of Environment and Ecology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Longzao Luo
- School of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Shangrao Normal University, Shangrao, 334001, China
| | - Binghua Yan
- College of Environment and Ecology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Shuang Luo
- College of Environment and Ecology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China; Centre for Water Technology (WATEC) & Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 36, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
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Zhang T, Luo XS, Kumar A, Liu X, Tong X, Yao X, Fan J, Chen Z, Chaturvedi S. Effects of micro-nano plastics on the environmental biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen: A comprehensive review. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 357:142079. [PMID: 38642771 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
Micro-nano plastics (MNPs; size <5 mm), ubiquitous and emerging pollutants, accumulated in the natural environment through various sources, and are likely to interact with nutrients, thereby influencing their biogeochemical cycle. Increasing scientific evidences reveal that MNPs can affect nitrogen (N) cycle processes by affecting biotopes and organisms in the environmental matrix and MNPs biofilms, thus plays a crucial role in nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) emission. Yet, the mechanism and key processes behind this have not been systematically reviewed in natural environments. In this review, we systematically summarize the effects of MNPs on N transformation in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric ecosystems. The effects of MNPs properties on N content, composition, and function of the microbial community, enzyme activity, gene abundance and plant N uptake in different environmental conditions has been briefly discussed. The review highlights the significant potential of MNPs to alter the properties of the environmental matrix, microbes and plant or animal physiology, resulting in changes in N uptake and metabolic efficiency in plants, thereby inhibiting organic nitrogen (ON) formation and reducing N bioavailability, or altering NH3 emissions from animal sources. The faster the decomposition of plastics, the more intense the perturbation of MNPs to organisms in the natural ecosystem. Findings of this provide a more comprehensive analysis and research directions to the environmentalists, policy makers, water resources planners & managers, biologists, and biotechnologists to do integrate approaches to reach the practical engineering solutions which will further diminish the long-term ecological and climatic risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhang
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Xiao-San Luo
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
| | - Amit Kumar
- School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Xin Tong
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Xuewen Yao
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Jiayi Fan
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Zhihuai Chen
- Department of Agricultural Resources and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
| | - Sadashiv Chaturvedi
- School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
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Zhang Y, Wang JX, Liu Y, Zhang JT, Wang JH, Chi ZY. Effects of environmental microplastic exposure on Chlorella sp. biofilm characteristics and its interaction with nitric oxide signaling. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169659. [PMID: 38159749 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Microalgal biofilm is promising in simultaneous pollutants removal, CO2 fixation, and biomass resource transformation when wastewater is used as culturing medium. Nitric oxide (NO) often accumulates in microalgal cells under wastewater treatment relevant abiotic stresses such as nitrogen deficiency, heavy metals, and antibiotics. However, the influence of emerging contaminants such as microplastics (MPs) on microalgal intracellular NO is still unknown. Moreover, the investigated MPs concentrations among existing studies were mostly several magnitudes higher than in real wastewaters, which could offer limited guidance for the effects of MPs on microalgae at environment-relevant concentrations. Therefore, this study investigated three commonly observed MPs in wastewater at environment-relevant concentrations (10-10,000 μg/L) and explored their impacts on attached Chlorella sp. growth characteristics, nutrients removal, and anti-oxidative responses (including intracellular NO content). The nitrogen source NO3--N at 49 mg/L being 20 % of the nitrogen strength in classic BG-11 medium was selected for MPs exposure experiments because of least intracellular NO accumulation, so that disturbance of intracellular NO by nitrogen availability could be avoided. Under such condition, 10 μg/L polyethylene (PE) MPs displayed most significant microalgal growth inhibition comparing with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyamide (PA) MPs, showing extraordinarily low chlorophyll a/b ratios, and highest superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and intracellular NO content after 12 days of MPs exposure. PVC MPs exposed cultures displayed highest malonaldehyde (MDA) content because of the toxic characteristics of organochlorines, and most significant correlations of intracellular NO content with conventional anti-oxidative parameters of SOD, CAT (catalase), and MDA. MPs accelerated phosphorus removal, and the type rather than concentration of MPs displayed higher influences, following the trend of PE > PA > PVC. This study expanded the knowledge of microalgal biofilm under environment-relevant concentrations of MPs, and innovatively discovered the significance of intracellular NO as a more sensitive indicator than conventional anti-oxidative parameters under MPs exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Jian-Xia Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Yang Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Jing-Tian Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
| | - Jing-Han Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, PR China.
| | - Zhan-You Chi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bio-Intelligent Manufacturing, School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, PR China
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Asaad AA, Amer AS. Evaluation of Chlorella vulgaris biosorption capacity for phosphate and nitrate removal from wastewater. Sci Rep 2024; 14:884. [PMID: 38195608 PMCID: PMC10776767 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50748-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
High wastewater production rates during the past few decades are mostly attributable to anthropogenic activities. The main components leading to the nutrient enrichment of natural water bodies are such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and other minerals. The main focus of this research was to assess the ability of using Chlorella vulgaris algae, a potent and environmentally benign material, to eliminate phosphate and nitrate ions from wastewater. FTIR results showed that the biologically active molecules that facilitate the binding of phosphate and nitrate ions unto the C. vulgaris are C=C and N-H amid. The ideal equilibrium time for adsorption was 24 h with an optimum pH of 7 and the mass ratio of algae and different anions concentration was 80%. Freundlich isotherm model was the best-fitted isotherm. Moreover, the results of the experiment fit more closely with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model than other models. Elovich kinetic model data for both ions showed that the adsorption rate was much higher than the desorption rate. The growing popularity of biosorbents in treating wastewater has led to an improvement in their affordability and availability, and C. vulgaris may now represent an environmentally friendly choice from an environmental, and economic standpoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amany A Asaad
- Inorganic Department, Central Laboratory for Environmental Quality Monitoring (CLEQM), National Water Research Center (NWRC), Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Amany S Amer
- Biology and Environmental Indicators Department, Central Laboratory for Environmental Quality Monitoring (CLEQM), National Water Research Center (NWRC), Cairo, Egypt
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Gao L, Su Y, Fan H, Xie Y, Mehmood T, Liu S, Bao R, Peng L. Impacts of microplastic-petroleum pollution on nutrient uptake, growth, and antioxidative activity of Chlorella vulgaris. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2023; 255:106395. [PMID: 36628878 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As one of the emerging pollutants, microplastics (MPs; <5 mm) can interact with co-contaminants such as petroleum in marine aquatic systems, and their combined toxicity has not been fully investigated. Therefore, this study focused on pollutants such as micro-sized polyethylene (mPE) and petroleum, aiming to explore their single and combined toxicities to microalga Chlorella vulgaris in terms of the cell growth, antioxidative enzymes, and nutrients utilization. The results showed that the MPs alone (particle sizes (i.e., 13, 165, 550 μm), concentrations (i.e., 0.01, 0.1, and 1 g/L), and aging degrees (i.e., aged for 0 d and 90 d under UVA)), and petroleum alone (5% water accommodated fraction, WAF), and their combinations (i.e., 5% WAF + 165 μm-0.1 g/L-aged 0 d mPE, 5% WAF + 165 μm-0.1 g/L-aged 90 d mPE) all posed toxicities risk to C. vulgaris, following an increase in oxidative stress. The cellular utilization of elements such as Fe, Si, Ca, and Mg was inhibited, whereas the uptake of Mn, NO3--N, and PO43--P increased as compared to the control experiments. Furthermore, the relationship between nutrients and growth indicators was analyzed using a structural equation model. The results indicated that Fe and Mn directly affected the indirect NO3--N absorption by C. vulgaris, which indirectly affected the dry cell weight (DCW) of the microalgae. The path coefficient of Fe and Mn affecting nitrate was 0.399 and 0.388, respectively. The absorption of N was the key step for C. vulgaris resist stress. This study provides a novel analysis of the effects of MPs on the growth of microalgae from the perspective of nutrient elements, thereby providing a useful basis for further exploration of the associated mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Gao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University
| | - Yuanyuan Su
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University
| | | | - Yang Xie
- Yangzhou Jiejia Testing Technology Co., Ltd
| | - Tariq Mehmood
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University
| | - Siyu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University
| | - Ruiqi Bao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University
| | - Licheng Peng
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University.
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