title: Multimodal action and selective toxicity of zerovalent iron nanoparticles against cyanobacteria.
abstract: Cyanobacteria pose a serious threat to water resources around the world. This is compounded by the fact that they are extremely resilient, having evolved numerous protective mechanisms to ensure their dominant position in their ecosystem. We show that treatment with nanoparticles of zerovalent iron (nZVI) is an effective and environmentally benign method for destroying and preventing the formation of cyanobacterial water blooms. The nanoparticles have multiple modes of action, including the removal of bioavailable phosphorus, the destruction of cyanobacterial cells, and the immobilization of microcystins, preventing their release into the water column. Ecotoxicological experiments showed that nZVI is a highly selective agent, having an EC(50) of 50 mg/L against cyanobacteria; this is 20-100 times lower than its EC(50) for algae, daphnids, water plants, and fishes. The primary product of nZVI treatment is nontoxic and highly aggregated Fe(OH)(3), which promotes flocculation and gradual settling of the decomposed cyanobacterial biomass.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Lidická 25/27, 657 20 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Blahoslav
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marsalek
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jancula
authors.forename: Eliska
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marsalkova
authors.forename: Miroslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mashlan
authors.forename: Klara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Safarova
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tucek
authors.forename: Radek
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zboril
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029064:Araceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007501:Iron / Q000633:toxicity*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D052998:Microcystins / Q000032:analysis; D046931:Microcystis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D011036:Poecilia; D044444:Scenedesmus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D031226:Sinapis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D052998:Microcystins; D014873:Water Pollutants; D007501:Iron