Bioavailability and uptake of organic micropollutants during crop irrigation with reclaimed wastewater: introduction to current issues and research needs

Abstract

Organic contaminants occurring in reclaimed water can be incorporated in soil, where they can interact with humic compounds or anthropogenic organic matter depending on their physicochemical properties. In the soil water, a fraction of these contaminants can be biodegraded, particularly in the rhizosphere, where the process is enhanced by root exudates. Another fraction can be uptaken by plants and translocated by xylem. Once incorporated in the plant, a fraction of the incorporated contaminant is metabolized, while the rest remains unaltered. Three stages can be distinguished in the metabolization process: (1) oxidation, (2) conjugation, and (3) accumulation in the vacuole or cell wall.