Fate of five bisphenol derivatives in Chlamydomonas mexicana: Toxicity, removal, biotransformation and microalgal metabolism

Bisphenols (BPs) are recognized as emerging contaminants because of their estrogenic properties and frequent occurrence in environmental matrices. Here, we evaluated the toxic effects of five common BPs on freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana and removal of the BPs by the alga. Bisphenols-AF (BPAF),-B (BPB), and-Z (BPZ) (96 h, EC50 1.78-12.09 mg center dot L-1) exhibited higher toxicity to C. mexicana compared to bisphenol-S (BPS) and-F (BPF) (96 h, EC50 30.53-85.48 mg center dot L-1). In contrast, the mixture of BPs exhibited acute toxicity (96 h, EC50 8.07 mg center dot L-1). After 14 days, C. mexicana had effectively removed 61%, 99%, 55%, 87%, and 89% of BPS, BPF, BPAF, BPB, and BPZ, respectively, at 1 mg L-1. The biotransformed products of all five BPs were analyzed using UHPLC QTOF, and their toxicity was predicted. All biotransformed products were observed to be less toxic than the parent compounds. The fatty acid composition of C. mexicana after exposure to the BP mixture was pre- dominantly palmitic acid (34.14%), followed by oleic acid (18.9%), and gamma-linolenic acid (10.79%). The results provide crucial information on the ecotoxicity of these five BPs and their removal by C. mexicana; the resulting biomass is a potential feedstock for producing biodiesel.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the toxicity of five common bisphenols (BPs) on the freshwater microalga Chlamydomonas mexicana and the removal of BPs by the alga. BPAF, BPB, and BPZ showed higher toxicity to C. mexicana compared to BPS and BPF. The alga effectively removed BPs, with removal rates ranging from 61% to 99%. The results provide important information on the ecotoxicity of these BPs and their removal by C. mexicana, and the resulting biomass has potential for biodiesel production.