Benefits of Duckweeds for Phytoremediation

Aquatic plants, commonly known as duckweeds, represent a group of 36 species in the family Lemnaceae. Duckweeds are often regarded as detrimental to the environment because of their ability to quickly populate and cover the water surfaces due to their rapid vegetative propagation. However, their global distribution, tolerance to ammonia, heavy metals, other chemical pollutants, and environmental stresses make duckweed a favorite species for bioremediation of agricultural, municipal, and industrial wastewater. In course of their fast growth and biomass accumulation, duckweeds efficiently assimilate nitrogen- and phosphate-containing water pollutants, playing an important role in restorative ecology of water reservoirs. Moreover, compared to other species, duckweed species and ecotypes are highly adaptive to a variety of environmental contaminants. In summary, duckweeds are a powerful tool for bioremediation that can reduce anthropogenic pollution in aquatic ecosystems and prevent water eutrophication in a simple, inexpensive ecologically friendly way. Here, we reviewed the potential for using duckweeds in remediation of major water pollutants: mineral nitrogen and phosphorus, various organic chemicals, and heavy metals.