There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" id="d1477115e117">Microplastics
(MPs) released from both primary and secondary sources affect the functioning
of aquatic system. These MPs and components leached, can interact with aquatic organisms
of all trophic levels, including the primary producers, such as microalgae. Considering
the ecological value of microalgae and the toxicological effects of MPs towards them,
this review provides: (1) a detailed understanding of the interactions between MPs
and microalgae in the complex natural environment; (2) a discussion about the toxic
effects of single type and mixtures of plastic particles on the microalgae cells,
and (3) a discussion about the impacts of MPs on various features of microalgae -based
bioremediation technology. For this purpose, toxic effects of MPs on various microalgal
species were compiled and plastic components of MPs were ranked on the basis of their
toxic effects. Based on available data, ranking for various plastic components was
found to be: Polystyrene (PS) (rank 1) > Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) > Polypropylene
(PP) > Polyethylene (PE) (rank 4). Furthermore, the review suggested the need to
understand
joint toxicity of MPs along with co-contaminants on microalgae as the presence of
other pollutants along with MPs might affect microalgae differently. In-depth investigations
are required to check the impact of MPs on microalgae-based wastewater treatment technology
and controlling factors.
</p>