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Comparison of four flocculants for removing algae in Dianchi Lake

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Abstract

Cyanobacterial blooms are a significant concern in Dianchi Lake and other freshwater bodies in China. Effects of dose, duration, pH, and colony size on algae and turbidity removal in artificial water containing Microcystis aeruginosa were investigated for polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS), polymeric aluminum chloride (PAC), Al2(SO4)3·18H2O, and Fe2(SO4)3. We also investigated the performance of flocculants for removal of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) and turbidity from algae-laden water at different doses and water temperatures. In artificial water experiment (initial cell density: 1.9 × 106 cells/mL; initial Chl-a: 268.00 μg/L) the most effective doses of PFS and PAC were 40 and 50 mg/L, respectively; for Al2(SO4)3·18H2O and Fe2(SO4)3, it was 50–60 mg/L. During the 24-h experiment, PFS most efficiently removed Microcystis and turbidity at the dose of 50 mg/L. PAC, Al2(SO4)3·18H2O, and Fe2(SO4)3 were most effective at pH 6–8. For PFS, the optimum pH range was 5–8. Removal rate of PFS, PAC, and Fe2(SO4)3 of large colonies was significantly better than for small colonies. In algae-laden water experiment (initial cell density: 6.47 × 107 cell/mL; initial Chl-a: 11,641.12 μg/L), the most effective doses of PFS, PAC, Al2(SO4)3·18H2O, and Fe2(SO4)3 were 125, 125, 125, and 250 mg/L, respectively. For water temperatures of 20–30 °C, PFS and PAC were most effective at the dose of 125 mg/L. Considering removal effectiveness, safety, and economy, PFS is recommended for clarifying algae-laden water in Dianchi Lake.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funding from the National Science and Technology Major Project for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2012ZX07102-004). We also thank the anonymous reviewers  for their constructive comments and suggestions.

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  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoxue Ma, Yuanan Wang, Shuqing Feng & Shoubing Wang

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  1. Xiaoxue Ma
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Correspondence to Shoubing Wang.

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Ma, X., Wang, Y., Feng, S. et al. Comparison of four flocculants for removing algae in Dianchi Lake. Environ Earth Sci 74, 3795–3804 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4093-4

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