An aquatic moss commonly encountered in northern Sweden has been shown to be an avid consumer of arsenicAquatic moss in a Stockholm University greenhouse. Source: Arifin Sandhi and a newly discovered tool for remediating polluted water. Warnstorfia fluitans collected from an As-contaminated wetland close to a mine tailings impoundment removed 80 percent of the pollutant from a container of water in an hour.

Stockholm University researchers noted that removal time increased with greater nutrient and As concentrations. Up to 100 μM As exerted no toxic effect on the plant biomass. More than 90 percent of the As bioaccumulated was firmly bound to plant tissue, a possible mechanism for resisting high As concentrations. Arsenic was both absorbed and adsorbed by the moss, and twice as much As was found in living parts as in dead moss tissue.

The researchers suggest W. fluitans has potential to serve as a phytofilter for removing As from contaminated water.