Avaliação da capacidade de Salvinia biloba atuar como fitoextratora de parabenos emergentes em água

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the phytoremediation potential of the aquatic macrophyte Salvinia biloba Raddi Emend. de La Sota in mixed solutions containing the emerging compounds butylparaben and propylparaben, frequently detected in post-treatment effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The experiment was conducted at the Ecology Laboratory of the Federal Technological University of Paraná - Campo Mourão Campus, using concentrations of 100 and 500 µg/L of the contaminants. The levels of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls a and b), root absorption and translocation of the compound, as well as the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were evaluated. The results demonstrated a high root absorption capacity of the butylparaben and propylparaben solution, without significant transport to the aerial part. Enzymatic analyses indicated inhibition of CAT and APX, accompanied by a compensatory increase in SOD and GPX, reflecting metabolic adjustment in response to oxidative stress. Chlorophyll levels remained stable, indicating that the photosynthetic apparatus was not compromised even under different concentrations of the contaminant. It is concluded that S. biloba exhibits tolerance to butylparaben and propylparaben and promising potential for application in phytoremediation and biomonitoring processes of aquatic environments contaminated by these emerging compounds.