Filter out the ubiquitous pollutants in the water with native plants

Every day, a large amount of synthetic chemicals from human activities are found in Quebec’s wetlands and waterways and modify the natural cycle of substances.

This is particularly the case with triclosan, a chemical compound found in a wide variety of everyday consumer products such as toothpaste, soap, and air fresheners. Used as a preservative and pest control agent, it is used to prevent the growth of bacteria, fungi and mold.

But once released into the environment, triclosan can harm organisms at the bottom of the food chain (such as algae and microalgae) and embryos of some fish and frogs, as well as alter the growth of microbial communities and thus participate in the emergence of strains of bacteria potentially becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Lorient Bedard, a master’s student in biological sciences at the University of Montreal, is currently studying the possibility of disposing of this important contaminant through a filter sump.

His project mobilizes 50 Mediterranean worlds – environments that recreate natural environments in which conditions are controlled – consisting of three plants native to Canada: chiseled bone, American reed, and rope grass.

Directed by Joanne Laure and directed by Jacques Bryson, professors in the Department of Biological Sciences at UdeM, Laurianne Bédard seeks to assess individual and combined filtering strengths.

“I already know that American cane and umbilical cord weed are effective in removing many other contaminants,” she says. But the idea is to determine if it’s also for triclosan and to see if the biodiversity, the mix of plants has an additive effect. Conversely, if this is not the case for the two components, we will know that these types should not be prioritized in terms of filtering. And if the plant reacts more vigorously, it may constitute a potential biomarker for monitoring pollutants in the water system.”