Sugarcane vinasse provokes acute and chronic responses and bioaccumulation of metals in benthic macroinvertebrates

Brazil is a major producer of sugarcane bioethanol, which has raised concerns about its environmental impact. The industrial process for obtaining ethanol generates a by-product with a high pollution potential called vinasse. If vinasse reaches watercourses, it may affect the biological communities, such as the aquatic macroinvertebrates, which include species sensitive to environmental contamination. Thus, this study evaluated the ecotoxicological effects of sugarcane vinasse on tropical benthic macroinvertebrates ( Allonais inaequalis , Chironomus sancticaroli , Strandesia trispinosa , and Hyalella meinerti ). The study was divided into three phases. First, acute toxicity tests were carried out with the four species. The species A. inaequalis (average LC 50 = 0.460% confidence interval, CI 0.380–0.540%) was more sensitive to vinasse than C. sancticaroli (LC 50 0.721%, CI 0.565–0.878%), H. meinerti (EC 50 0.781%, CI 0.637–0.925%), and S. trispinosa (EC 50 1.283%, CI 1.045–1.522%). In the second phase, the consequences of chronic exposure to vinasse were assessed in the two more sensitive species. Impairments in reproduction and population growth rates for A. inaequalis and on the development, metamorphosis, and body growth of C. sancticaroli larvae occurred. Finally, the bioaccumulation of metals after chronic exposure was determined in the third phase. Vinasse provoked decreases in the body residue of the essential metals Zn and Mn and the accumulation of Cd, Pb, and Cr with the potential for biomagnification throughout the food webs. Low concentrations of vinasse (below 1%) provoked lethal and sublethal effects on benthic organisms, with several cascade effects on aquatic environments, given the ecological importance of this group in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems.