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Response of green mussels (Perna viridis) subjected to chlorination: investigations by valve movement monitoring

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Abstract

Perna viridis Linnaeus (1758) is a major foulant in the cooling water systems of electric power stations located on the East coast of India. Though chlorination is considered an effective fouling control measure, the strategy may fail in the case of bivalve mussels, due to the ability of the mussels to close their shells and still survive for extended periods of time. In a given power station, continuous low dose (exomotive) chlorination (0.2 ± 0.1 mg l−1) is practiced to control biofouling. Laboratory experiments were carried out to assess the mortality and valve movement response of Perna viridis exposed to chlorine, using a Mosselmonitor®. All size groups tested showed progressive reduction in valve opening upon chlorination. However, continuous dosing of chlorine concentration as high as 1.0 mg l−1 was required for sustained and complete valve closure response in this mussel. At lower concentration (0.7 mg l−1), the mussels were able to open their shells and feed. Sustained valve closure resulted in physiological stress to the mussels due to reduced feeding, subsequently leading to death. Time to 100% mortality was dependent on the size of the mussels. At 1.0 mg l−1 chlorine residual, smaller size group (30–50 mm) mussels showed 100% mortality in 79.3 h, while larger groups (50–70 mm and 70–90 mm) took 152 h and 243 h, respectively. Frequency of valve opening was high in smaller size group mussels (30–50 mm), compared with larger groups (70–90 mm). Even though the time taken for killing was size-dependent, frequency of valve opening and time period between successive openings were found to be characteristic of individual mussels. The observations provide new insight into the response of bivalve mussels to continuous chlorination in the context of biofouling control and point to the need to adopt pragmatic strategies to prevent mussel spat settlement rather than killing of adult mussels, thereby reducing environmental burden due to chlorine residuals. Usage of target-specific biocidal strategies (intermittent/pulse dosing) or alternative biocides (chlorine dioxide) may help mitigate green mussel fouling in tropical cooling water systems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere thanks to the Station Director, Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) for providing the necessary facilities and logistic support. The work was part of collaborative project between Water and Steam Chemistry Division (WSCD), BARC and National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Chennai.

Funding

Srinivas Venkatnarayanan was supported financially by NIOT by means of a Senior Research Fellowship.

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Author notes

  1. Srinivas Venkatnarayanan and P. Sriyutha Murthy have equally contributed to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biofouling and Biofilm Processes Section, Water & Steam Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Kalpakkam, 603 102, India

    Srinivas Venkatnarayanan, P. Sriyutha Murthy & P. Veeramani

  2. Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400 094, India

    P. Sriyutha Murthy & Vayalam P. Venugopalan

  3. Marine Biotechnology, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Pallikaranai, Chennai, 600 103, India

    Ramalingam Kirubagaran

  4. Bioscience Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India

    Vayalam P. Venugopalan

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  1. Srinivas Venkatnarayanan
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  2. P. Sriyutha Murthy
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  3. Ramalingam Kirubagaran
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  4. P. Veeramani
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Correspondence to P. Sriyutha Murthy.

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Venkatnarayanan, S., Murthy, P.S., Kirubagaran, R. et al. Response of green mussels (Perna viridis) subjected to chlorination: investigations by valve movement monitoring. Environ Monit Assess 193, 202 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09008-y

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