Utilizing QACs as Mitigating Agents Against VOC Toxicity in Duckweed

Overview

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOCs are present in numerous industrial activities, accounting for about 43% of total VOC emissions in the United States. These emissions not only contribute to environmental issues worldwide but also significantly affect plant growth and vegetation in settings in which industrial activities are carried out. One of these plants is duckweed, Lemnoideae, an aquatic plant known to impose benefits such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water quality improvement, and biofuel production. This experiment investigates the potential of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) to mitigate the degradation of duckweed caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like ammonia, ethanol, acetic acid, and acetone. QACs, known for their antimicrobial properties, are hypothesized to impede duckweed degradation by interacting with VOCs. The study employs controlled conditions with duckweed trays exposed to each VOC with and without QAC treatment. Results show QACs significantly protect against degradation, neutralizing growth decline levels a week after VOC exposure. Ethanol, among the tested substances, is most influenced by QAC exposure, minimizing its impact on duckweed. These findings suggest incorporating QACs as an environmentally friendly strategy to counteract VOC-induced damage in aquatic ecosystems.