impact on the food chain and human health. New regulations will have to include
many of these compounds to produce water of sufficient quality to satisfy the public
opinion towards the use of reclaimed wastewater for agriculture.
With the recent advances on analytical methods, scientists are able to quantify
more and more compounds and follow their metabolites using non-target or suspect
screenings. Pharmaceuticals are subjected to a wide array of chemical modifications
during their passage through our wastewater treatment facilities. And beyond this,
their fate is subjected to plant metabolism once applied to the field. As some studies
show, the concentration of metabolites can exceed largely that of the parent compound, emphasizing the importance of metabolite analysis in monitoring
studies [50].
The analysis of metabolites and understanding of plant metabolism is crucial to
set good agricultural practices. Plant metabolism of xenobiotics has been historically
studied on the basis of herbicides and agrochemicals application [70]. In the last
years, these studies have been extended to contaminants of emerging concern. Even
if common mechanisms have been unraveled, a huge number of pharmaceuticals and
their metabolites remain to be studied. Further studies are needed in order to answer
questions related to plant species and agricultural specificities and metabolite distribution in different organs of the plant (edible or not).
Furthermore, this information provides the scientific community with applications for the improvement of remediation techniques based on phytomanagement.
Constructed wetlands and algal pond treatment systems sit at the forefront of
innovations in contemporary wastewater treatment aimed at the food-water-energy
nexus, and biotechnological advances in this field will still be necessary in the
coming years [125]. Moreover, studies using plants as monitoring devices for
assessing the fate and environmental presence of pharmaceuticals will be helpful
to protect our agroecosystems [126].
With recent advances in the field of plant microbiome, it has been shown that
plant microbiota can be used to enhance degradation of pharmaceuticals in CWs.
Some beneficial strains with potential degradative abilities have been identified.
However, recent studies use integrative approaches to prioritize improvement of
microbial networking rather than inoculation with single strains [127, 128]. A deeper
understanding on plant-microbial functions for pharmaceutical degradation will lead
to the development of minimal rhizosphere or plant microbiome for
phytoremediation [129].
Thus, monitoring plants for pharmaceutical exposure and identifying their metabolites and their spatiotemporal distribution will be crucial for the innovation in
treatment techniques and for the safety of reutilization of reclaimed wastewater for
agricultural irrigation.
256
A. Sauvêtre et al.
many of these compounds to produce water of sufficient quality to satisfy the public
opinion towards the use of reclaimed wastewater for agriculture.
With the recent advances on analytical methods, scientists are able to quantify
more and more compounds and follow their metabolites using non-target or suspect
screenings. Pharmaceuticals are subjected to a wide array of chemical modifications
during their passage through our wastewater treatment facilities. And beyond this,
their fate is subjected to plant metabolism once applied to the field. As some studies
show, the concentration of metabolites can exceed largely that of the parent compound, emphasizing the importance of metabolite analysis in monitoring
studies [50].
The analysis of metabolites and understanding of plant metabolism is crucial to
set good agricultural practices. Plant metabolism of xenobiotics has been historically
studied on the basis of herbicides and agrochemicals application [70]. In the last
years, these studies have been extended to contaminants of emerging concern. Even
if common mechanisms have been unraveled, a huge number of pharmaceuticals and
their metabolites remain to be studied. Further studies are needed in order to answer
questions related to plant species and agricultural specificities and metabolite distribution in different organs of the plant (edible or not).
Furthermore, this information provides the scientific community with applications for the improvement of remediation techniques based on phytomanagement.
Constructed wetlands and algal pond treatment systems sit at the forefront of
innovations in contemporary wastewater treatment aimed at the food-water-energy
nexus, and biotechnological advances in this field will still be necessary in the
coming years [125]. Moreover, studies using plants as monitoring devices for
assessing the fate and environmental presence of pharmaceuticals will be helpful
to protect our agroecosystems [126].
With recent advances in the field of plant microbiome, it has been shown that
plant microbiota can be used to enhance degradation of pharmaceuticals in CWs.
Some beneficial strains with potential degradative abilities have been identified.
However, recent studies use integrative approaches to prioritize improvement of
microbial networking rather than inoculation with single strains [127, 128]. A deeper
understanding on plant-microbial functions for pharmaceutical degradation will lead
to the development of minimal rhizosphere or plant microbiome for
phytoremediation [129].
Thus, monitoring plants for pharmaceutical exposure and identifying their metabolites and their spatiotemporal distribution will be crucial for the innovation in
treatment techniques and for the safety of reutilization of reclaimed wastewater for
agricultural irrigation.
256
A. Sauvêtre et al.