Bioaccumulation of tetracycline and degradation products in Lemna gibba L. exposed to secondary effluents

Abstract

The aim of this study was determination of the bioaccumulation capacity of tetracycline (TC) and the degradation products by Lemna gibba L. in the pilot-scale reactor that takes the effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (Elazig city, Turkey). For this aim, L. gibba L. which was exposed to secondary clarifier effluent of the treatment plant was harvested from the pilot-scale reactor. Then, the harvested L. gibba L. was extracted and passed from solid-phase extraction cartridge and TC, 4-epitetracycline (ETC), 4-epianhydrotetracycline (EATC), and anhydrotetracycline (ATC) concentrations were determined. Maximum TC, ETC, EATC, and ATC concentrations bioaccumulated by L. gibba L. were 123 +/- 2.0, 129 +/- 3.2, 42.7 +/- 0.5, and 31.9 +/- 0.3ppb, respectively while minimum TC, ETC, EATC, and ATC concentrations those bioaccumulated by L. gibba L. were determined as 99.7 +/- 1.2, 111 +/- 2.2, 12 +/- 0.6, and 8.3 +/- 0.1ppb, respectively. The order of the uptake rate of TC and the degradation products by L. gibba L. was determined as follows: ETC>TC>EATC>ATC.