12. Effects of Polyethylene Terephthalates on the growth and ammonium treatment efficiency of Duckweed Lemna sp

Abstract

Plastic waste has become a severe environmental issue in Vietnam and around the world. Despite much research into the current state of plastic pollution in ecosystems, knowledge of the effects of plastic particles on plants remains limited. In this study, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resin was selected to study the effect of plastic particles on growth and ammonium treatment efficiency of duckweed Lemna sp. under laboratory conditions. Research results showed that 1mm PET resins had an inhibitory effect on the growth, root elongation and ammonium processing capacity of duckweed Lemna sp., respectively, at 36.36 %, 29.76 % and 21.8 %. When increasing the weight of 1 mm PET plastic, the inhibition rate of the resin on the growth and the ammonium processing capacity of duckweed increased. This study showed that the presence of PET microplastics in the aquatic environment inhibited the growth of duckweed Lemna sp. Therefore, further studies are needed to better understand the impact of PET particles on different growth stages and water treatment capacity of duckweed.