Thursday April 17, 2025
EcoWatch —
In a recent study, scientists have found that the species Eichhornia crassipes, also known as the common water hyacinth, has strong potential as a remediator for microplastics in the environment.
In the study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers collected water hyacinths from a river in Shanghai, China and relocated the plants for continued growth in a greenhouse with controlled nutrients, light and temperatures. Then, to test for the ability to take up microplastics, researchers placed plants of the same size and from the same mother plant, with two of these plants per one glass culture bottle.
From there, particles of polystyrene (PS) were added to the nutrient solution in the bottles and observed for a 14-day period, with the liquid in the bottles switched out every 7 days.
Based on the results, the water hyacinths’ growth was not impacted by the presence of microplastics, and microplastics only made it to the stem of the plants, not the leaves. The root system even adsorbed the microplastics over the course of the research.