persistent-pollutants
Persistent pollutants are chemical substances that resist environmental degradation and accumulate in biological tissues, including plants. Understanding how plants absorb and respond to these pollutants is critical for assessing impacts on agricultural productivity, food safety, and ecosystem health, as contaminants can accumulate through the food chain. Research in this area informs the development of phytoremediation strategies and guides sustainable agriculture practices in contaminated environments.
PubMed · 2026-02-15
Researchers found that a marine diatom can remove 'forever chemicals' (PFOA and PFOS) from water, eliminating about 25-29% of these persistent pollutants over 15 days through a process that follows predictable first-order kinetics, offering a potential low-cost biological approach for contaminated water treatment.
Chaetoceros calcitrans removed 24.65% of PFOA and 29.35% of PFOS at initial concentration of 100 μg/L within 15 days
Removal kinetics followed first-order models with rate constants (k) of 0.014-0.019 day⁻¹
Marine microalga demonstrates viable phytoremediation potential for persistent organic fluorinated pollutants