Impacts of antiscalants used for seawater desalination on benthic bacteria, seagrass and their microbial epiphytes

Key Points

• Antiscalants adversely affect the composition of benthic bacteria and their microbial epiphytes, showing changes in community structure.
• Seagrass health also declines with increasing concentrations of antiscalants, particularly impacting growth rates and biomass.
• Assessment using environmental monitoring techniques evaluated the effects on microbial communities in desalinated seawater areas.
• Findings indicate a need for careful evaluation of anti-scaling agents in seawater desalination processes to minimize ecological damage.