Due to the scarcity of scientific data regarding the use of D.
polymorpha in the wastewater treatment context, we faced many
technical and logistical problems during our research, not
foreseeable during the experimental design drafting; in fact, the
best performances of bio-filtration were obtained with prolonged
exposure times (24 h) and with moderate amounts of particulates.
Therefore, the ability of D. polymorpha to remove certain types of
pollutants from pretreated wastewater could suggest, in a possible
future research or in an engineered scenario, the placement of this
filter-feeding bivalve as the last step of conventional WWTPs or to
include it in other natural systems, such as constructed wetlands or
lagooning, where the hydraulic retention time is of one or more
days, and thus a longer contact time between wastewater and the
bivalves is allowed. Furthermore, in future studies, it would be
interesting to investigate the ME removal mechanisms and to
monitorate the fate and presence of MEs in the bivalve soft tissues,
shells, feces and pseudofaeces