Green Liver Systems® for Water Purification: Using the Phytoremediation Potential of Aquatic Macrophytes for the Removal of Different Cyanobacterial Toxins from Water

Stephan Pflugmacher^1,2*, Sandra Kühn¹, Sang-Hyup Lee³, Jae-Woo Choi^2,4, Seungyun Baik⁵, Kyu-Sang Kwon², Valeska Contardo-Jara¹

¹Technische Universität Berlin, Institute of Ecology, Chair Ecological Impact Research and Ecotoxicology, Berlin, Germany.
²Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Centre for Water Resource Cycle Research, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
³Graduate School of Convergence Green Technology and Policy, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁴Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
⁵KIST Europe Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Campus E71, Environment and Bio Group, Saarbrücken, Germany.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2015.69161                

Abstract

The protection and reasonable use of freshwater is one of the main goals for our future, as water is most important for all organisms on earth including humans. Due to pollution, not only with xenobiotics, but also with nutrients, the status of our water bodies has changed drastically. Excess nutrient load induces eutrophication processes and, as a result, massive cyanobacterial blooms during the summer times. As cyanobacteria are known to produce several toxic secondary metabolites, the so-called cyanotoxins, exhibiting hepato-, neuro- and cell-toxicity, a potential risk is given, when using this water. There is an urgent need to have a water purification system, which is able to cope with these natural toxins. Using aquatic plants as a Green Liver, the Green Liver System?, was developed, able to remove these natural pollutants. To test the ability of the Green Liver System?, several cyanobacterial toxins including artificial and natural mixtures were tested in a small-scale laboratory system. The results showed that within 7 - 14 days a combination of different aquatic macrophytes was able to remove a given toxin amount (10 μg·L^-1) by 100%. The phytoremediation technology behind the Green Liver Systems? uses the simple ability of submerged aquatic plants to uptake, detoxify and store the toxins, without formation and release of further metabolites to the surrounding water.

Keywords

Green Liver System®, Phytoremediation, Aquatic Macrophytes, Water Purification, Biotransformation, Metabolism, Cyanobacterial Toxins

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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