Exploration of the phycoremediation potential of Laminaria digitata towards diflubenzuron, lindane, copper and cadmium in a multitrophic pilot-scale experiment

The presence of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems can cause serious problems to the environment and marine organisms. This study aims to evaluate the phycoremediation capacity of macroalgae Laminaria digitata for pesticides (diflubenzuron and lindane) and toxic elements (cadmium and copper) in seawater in the presence or absence of mussels. The photosynthetic activity was monitored in the macroalgae to assess its “physiological status”. The results showed that the presence of algae decreased diflubenzuron concentration in mussels by 70% after 120 h of exposure. Additionally, this macroalgae was efficient to reduce lindane, Cu and Cd in seawater; even though it not was able to reduce these contaminants in mussels. The studied pollutants did not affect the physiological status of macroalgae. This study reveals that the application of phycoremediation with macroalgae can be an useful and effective mitigation strategy to remove/decrease contaminant levels from the aquatic environment. © 2017 Elsevier

The authors acknowledge the funding obtained from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under the ECsafeSEAFOOD project (grant agreement n? 311820). C?tia Oliveira thanks REQUIMTE FCT (Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia) and FEDER through the project UID/QUI/50006/2013 - POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265 with financial support from FCT/MEC through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. Patr?cia Anacleto acknowledges a Post-PhD grant from the FCT (SFRH/BPD/100728/2014). Ant?nio Marques and Sara C. Cunha acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the IF2014 contract and IF/01616/2015 contract, respectively. Eduardo Sampaio help during the trial to maintain the system working is also acknowledged.