2014 Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 43-54
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known toxic and endocrine-disrupting compound frequently detected in aquatic environments. Here, we investigated rhizoremediation of BPA-polluted water using giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza). One BPA-degrading bacterium, Novosphingobium sp. FID3, was isolated from the S. polyrhiza roots. Strain FID3 utilized BPA as a sole carbon and energy source. Organic compounds from S. polyrhiza roots supported cell growth of strain FID3, and the strain colonized the sterile S. polyrhiza roots, where it degraded BPA. Strain FID3 colonizing the S. polyrhiza roots was passed down from mother plant to first- and second-generation daughter plants during vegetative reproduction. S. polyrhiza in association with strain FID3 repeatedly removed BPA from secondary effluent water polluted with BPA, whereas S. polyrhiza alone could not remove BPA. Hydroponic systems using S. polyrhiza in association with the BPA-degrading rhizobacterium Novosphingobium sp. FID3 have the potential to be effective and sustainable treatments for BPA-polluted waters.
