Evaluation of microbiotests for ecotoxicological assessment of textile-derived contaminants in aquatic ecosystems

The textile industry consumes vast amounts of water and chemicals during dyeing and finishing processes, generating effluents that threaten aquatic ecosystems. Conventional monitoring relies mainly on physicochemical parameters, which cannot fully capture chemical bioavailability, effects of complex mixtures, or biological responses. In contrast, microbiotests provide an integrated evaluation of the biological effects of complex contaminant mixtures and therefore represent an important tool for assessing the ecological risks posed by textile effluents and textile material leachates. There is currently a lack of a comprehensive evaluation of microbiotests in relation to the ecotoxicity of aquatic samples from the textile industry. This work provides a framework for selecting microbiotests and improving textile-sector monitoring by systematically evaluating microbiotests across textile matrices, considering test sensitivities, ecotoxicity endpoints, advantages, and operational limitations. Findings reveal species-dependent responses and matrix interferences, including sample coloration, turbidity, and nutrient-related masking effects. Furthermore, critical research gaps are identified, particularly the absence of published ecotoxicological data on aqueous textile leachates and the limited application of the Duckweed Toxkit and Ceriodaphtoxkit F microbiotests. Overall, this review highlights the need for multiple trophic level test batteries and chronic-effect monitoring of textile materials in aquatic ecosystems.