Use of Peperomia scandens for phytoremediation of contaminants in wastewater from the Salado River, Hidalgo
2025
A. Hernández-Sánchez | C. Romo-Gómez | C. Camacho-López | O.A. Acevedo-Sandoval | C.A. González-Ramírez | F. Salas-Martínez
Peperomia scandens (Ps.), an aquatic plant from the Piperaceae family with over 1500 species, has not been previously studied for its ability to remove contaminants from wastewater. Notably, Ps. presents Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), enabling reduced water loss through evapotranspiration compared to other aquatic species. This study evaluated its capacity to remove carbon- and nitrogen-based compounds from wastewater collected from the Salado River in the Apaxco–Tula de Allende region—one of Mexico’s most polluted areas due to discharges from Mexico City. Ps. plants were exposed to five wastewater concentrations (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %, v/v) with a 14-day hydraulic retention time. Parameters such as total carbon (TC), organic carbon (TOC), inorganic carbon (IC), total nitrogen (TN), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids (TDS) were analyzed. Removal efficiencies reached up to 79 % for TC and 75 % for TN, with EC and TDS reductions of up to 40 %. No phytotoxic effects were observed; instead, chlorophyll content increased up to 4.6-fold, and both organic and inorganic biomass rose by 1.78-fold. These findings suggest that Peperomia scandens holds strong potential for use in phytoremediation of wastewater, especially in systems targeting moderate contamination levels with sustainable, low-impact treatment approaches.
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