Next Article in Journal
Analysis of Groundwater Chemical Characteristics and Boron Sources in the Oasis Area of the Cherchen River Basin in Xinjiang, China
Previous Article in Journal
The Influence of Seasonal Freeze–Thaw in Northeast China on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Microbial Community Structure in Peat Soil
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Water
Volume 17
Issue 16
10.3390/w17162396
water-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Removal of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol by Rhizobacteria from Roots of Scirpus grossus Exposed to a Synthetic Mix in Constructed Wetlands

by
Osama Abrahiem AL Falahi
1,
Siti Rozaimah Sheikh Abdullah
2,*,
Hassimi Abu Hasan
2,3,
Ahmad Razi Othman
2,
Hind Mufeed Ewadh
4,
Nur ‘Izzati Ismail
2,
Muhammad Fauzul Imron
5,6,* and
Setyo Budi Kurniawan
2,7
1
Department of Medical Instruments Engineering Techniques, College of Technical Engineering, University of Al Maarif, Ramadi 31001, Iraq
2
Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
3
Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
4
Environmental Research and Studies Center, University of Babylon, Hilla 52001, Iraq
5
Study Program of Environmental Engineering, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Campus C UNAIR, Jalan Mulyorejo, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia
6
Sanitary Engineering Section, Department of Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
7
Research Center for Environment and Clean Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta Pusat 10340, Indonesia
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2025, 17(16), 2396; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162396
Submission received: 5 June 2025 / Revised: 15 July 2025 / Accepted: 12 August 2025 / Published: 13 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

The presence of ibuprofen (IBP) and paracetamol (PAR) contaminants in wastewater has become an emerging issue. Traditional wastewater treatment facilities have not been adequately upgraded to remove these micropollutants. This study focused on screening and identifying effective rhizobacteria capable of assisting plants in eliminating ibuprofen and paracetamol from wastewater using constructed wetlands. A total of 28 rhizobacteria were isolated from both the roots and the surrounding sand of Scirpus grossus after 30 days of pharmaceutical exposure. Among these, three isolates (Gram-negative Enterobacter aerogenes, Gram-positive Bacillus flexus, and Paenibacillus alvei) showed high tolerance to IBP and PAR with initial removal efficiencies > 75%. The addition of these three isolated rhizobacteria to a constructed wetland (planted with Scirpus grossus, 5-day HRT, 2 L/min aeration) assists the removal of IBP and PAR from wastewater. Bioaugmentation of rhizobacteria showed an increment of IBP removal (↑13%) from water (residual of 10 µg/L) and PAR (↑20%) from sand (residual 2.3 µg/L) as compared to the non-bioaugmented systems. The addition of rhizobacteria also showed the ability to significantly enhance the translocation of PAR into the shoot system of S. grossus, suggesting assisted phytoextraction mechanisms, while the removal of IBP in wetlands is suggested to occur via rhizodegradation. It is recommended that future research be conducted to elucidate the microbial degradation pathways and analyze the intermediate metabolites to accurately depict the pharmaceutical degradation mechanisms and evaluate their ecological risks.
Keywords: emerging contaminants; environmental pollution; pharmaceuticals; rhizobacteria; wastewater treatment emerging contaminants; environmental pollution; pharmaceuticals; rhizobacteria; wastewater treatment

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

AL Falahi, O.A.; Abdullah, S.R.S.; Hasan, H.A.; Othman, A.R.; Ewadh, H.M.; Ismail, N.‘I.; Imron, M.F.; Kurniawan, S.B. Removal of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol by Rhizobacteria from Roots of Scirpus grossus Exposed to a Synthetic Mix in Constructed Wetlands. Water 2025, 17, 2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162396

AMA Style

AL Falahi OA, Abdullah SRS, Hasan HA, Othman AR, Ewadh HM, Ismail N‘I, Imron MF, Kurniawan SB. Removal of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol by Rhizobacteria from Roots of Scirpus grossus Exposed to a Synthetic Mix in Constructed Wetlands. Water. 2025; 17(16):2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162396

Chicago/Turabian Style

AL Falahi, Osama Abrahiem, Siti Rozaimah Sheikh Abdullah, Hassimi Abu Hasan, Ahmad Razi Othman, Hind Mufeed Ewadh, Nur ‘Izzati Ismail, Muhammad Fauzul Imron, and Setyo Budi Kurniawan. 2025. "Removal of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol by Rhizobacteria from Roots of Scirpus grossus Exposed to a Synthetic Mix in Constructed Wetlands" Water 17, no. 16: 2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162396

APA Style

AL Falahi, O. A., Abdullah, S. R. S., Hasan, H. A., Othman, A. R., Ewadh, H. M., Ismail, N. ‘I., Imron, M. F., & Kurniawan, S. B. (2025). Removal of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol by Rhizobacteria from Roots of Scirpus grossus Exposed to a Synthetic Mix in Constructed Wetlands. Water, 17(16), 2396. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17162396

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop