Removal of Cyanobacteria and Microcystin by Natural Plant-Mineral Combinations in Eutrophic Waters

Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

The removal or mitigation of cyanobacterial bloom and cyanotoxins is a necessity to ensure safe drinking water and recreational water. As a feasible agent to control cyanobacterial bloom, a novel plant-mineral composite (PMC) was developed and optimized through laboratory and field testing over the past 3 years. Based on previous studies, we treated cyanobacterial bloom water (mainly Microcystis and Synechocystis) with 0.05 mg/L PMC at the small eutrophic reservoir; 2 h later, we collected samples and analyzed them in the laboratory. The intra-cellular (c-MC) and dissolved microcystin-LR (d-MC) were measured using an ELISA method. The PMC exhibited a remarkable removal of both c-MC (47.3 %) and d-MC (95.8 %) within 2 days. In addition, notable decreases (on average, 78 % of the control) in the chlorophyll-a, suspended solids, total phosphorus and biochemical oxygen demand values, in zooplankton and in the phytoplankton density (83.9 %) were verified after 48 h. These results indicate that the PMC is more effective in controlling d-MC than c-MC, suggesting a possible method to mitigate such hazardous chemicals as agrochemicals and endocrine disrupters in aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords

Plant-mineral combination PMC Cyanobacterial cell Microcystin-LR removal 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by a grant from the basic monitoring of the Han River System, 2010, National Institute of Environmental Research (133-406-260), named “Study of testing effectiveness and application of techniques for water quality improvement of drinking water resources”.

References

  1. APHA (1995) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 19th edn. American Public Health Association, WashingtonGoogle Scholar
  2. Brittain SM, Wang J, Babcock-Jackson L, Carmichael WW, Rinehart KL, Culver DA (2000) Isolation and characterization of microcystins, cyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxins from a Lake Erie strain of microcystis aeruginosa. J Great Lakes Res 26:241–249CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Carmichael WW, Beasley VR, Bunner DL, Eloff JN, Falconer I, Gorham P, Harada KI, Krishanmurthy T, Yu MJ, Moore RE, Rinehart KL, Runnegar M, Skulberg OM, Watanabe MF (1988) Naming of heptapeptide toxins of cyanobacteria (blue–green algae). Toxicon 26:971–973CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Chorus I, Bartram J (1999) Toxic cyanobacteria in water: a guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management. World Health Organization/E&FN Spon/Routledge, LondonCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Codd GA (2000) Cyanobacterial toxins, the perception of water quality and the prioritization of eutrophication control. Ecol Eng 16:51–60CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Feitz AJ, Waite TD, Jones GJ, Boyden BH, Orr PT (1999) Photocatalytic degradation of the blue green algal toxin microcystin-LR in a natural organic-aqueous matrix. Environ Sci Technol 33:243–249CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Gurbuz F, Codd GA (2008) Microcystin removal by a naturally-occurring substance: pumice. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 81:323–327CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Harada KI, Ogawa K, Matsuura K, Nagai H, Murata H, Suzuki M, Itezono Y, Nakayama N, Shirai M, Nakano M (1991) Isolation of two toxic heptapeptide microcystins from an axenic strain of M. aeruginosa, K-139. Toxicon 29:479–489CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Hwang JB, Yang MO, Kim MN, Park SH (1996) Extraction of minerals and elimination effect of heavy metals in water by Korean Quartz Porphyry. J Kor Soc Anal Sci 9:310–319Google Scholar
  10. Kim SS, Park M, Hur NH, Choi J (1991) Development of heavy metal adsorbent utilising natural zeolite. Kor J Env Agric 10:11–19Google Scholar
  11. Kim BH, Lee JH, Kim KH, Yu YH, Hwang SJ (2010) Algal growth inhibition activity of domestic plants and minerals using simple extraction method. Kor J Limnol 43:221–231Google Scholar
  12. Kim BH, Lee JH, Park CH, Kwon DY, Park HJ, Mun CH, Mun BJ, Choi IC, Kim NY, Min HN, Park MH, Hwang SJ (2011) Effects of plant-mineral composites (PMC) on the water quality, plankton community and microcystin-LR in eutrophic waters. Kor J Limnol 44:347–357Google Scholar
  13. Lee JH, Kim BH, Moon BC, Hwang SJ (2011) Optimization test of plant-mineral composites to control nuisance phytoplankton aggregates in eutrophic reservoir. Kor J Limnol 44:31–41Google Scholar
  14. Miller MJ, Critchley MM, Hutson J, Fallowfield HJ (2001) The adsorption of cyanobacterial hepatotoxins from water onto soil during batch experiments. Water Res 35:1461–1468CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Moon JH, Kim TJ, Choi CH, Kim CG (2006) Adsorption characteristics of heavy metals on clay minerals. J Kor Soc Env Eng 28:704–712Google Scholar
  16. Morris RJ, Williams DE, Luu HA, Holmes CFB, Andersen RJ, Calvert SE (2000) The adsorption of microcystin-LR by natural clay particles. Toxicon 38:303–308CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Nagata S, Tsutusmi T, Hasegawa A, Yoshida F, Ueno Y, Watanabe MF (1997) Enzyme immunoassay for direct determination of microcystins in environmental water. J AOAC Int 80:408–417Google Scholar
  18. Njau KN, Minja RJ, Katima JH (2003) Pumice soil as potential wetland substrate for treatment of domestic wastewater. Water Sci Technol 48:85–92Google Scholar
  19. Oudra B, Loudiki M, Vasconcelos V, Sabour B, Sbiyyaa B, Oufdou Kh, Mezrioul N (2002) Detection and quantification of microcystins from cyanobacteria strains Isolated from reservoirs and ponds in morocco. Environ Toxicol 17:32–39CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Park MH, Chung IM, Ahmad A, Kim BH, Hwang SJ (2009) Growth inhibition of unicellular and colonial Microcystis strains (Cyanophyceae) by compounds isolated from rice (Oryza sativa) hulls. Aquat Bot 90:309–314CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Pendleton P, Schumann R, Wong S (2001) Microcystin-LR adsorption by activated carbon. J Colloid Interface Sci 240:1–8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Reyssac SJ, Pletikosic M (1990) Cyanobacteria in fish ponds. Aquaculture 88:1–20CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Seok JH, Jun SJ (2009) Control of red-tide microbes with hydrogen peroxide and yellow Loess. J Kor Soc Water Wastewat 23:491–497Google Scholar
  24. Sigee DC, Glenn R, Andrews MJ, Bellinger EG, Butler RD, Epton HAS, Hendry RD (1999) Biological control of cyanobacteria: principles and possibilities. Hydrobiologia 395(396):161–172CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Life ScienceHanyang UniversitySeoulSouth Korea
  2. 2.Ara Incheon TerminalK-waterIncheonSouth Korea
  3. 3.Department of Environmental ScienceKonkuk UniversitySeoulSouth Korea

Personalised recommendations