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Combining hydrogen peroxide addition with sunlight regulation to control algal blooms

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Abstract

The concentration, light conditions during treatment, and the number of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) additions as well as the H2O2 treatment combined with subsequent shading to control algal blooms were studied in the field (Lake Dianchi, China). The cyanobacterial stress and injury due to H2O2 were dose dependent, and the control effectiveness and degradation of H2O2 were better and faster under full light than under shading. However, H2O2 was only able to control a bloom for a short time, so it may have promoted the recovery of algae and allowed the biomass to rebound due to the growth of eukaryotic algae. A second addition of H2O2 at the same dose had no obvious effect on algal control in the short term, suggesting that a higher concentration or a delayed addition should be considered, but these alternative strategies are not recommended so that the integrity of the aquatic ecosystem is maintained and algal growth is not promoted. Moreover, shading (85%) after H2O2 addition significantly reduced the algal biomass during the enclosure test, no restoration was observed for nearly a month, and the proportion of eukaryotic algae declined. It can be inferred that algal blooms can be controlled by applying a high degree of shading after treatment with H2O2.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Kun Shan and Dr. Lili Hu for their assistance with the field work and laboratory analyses, and we are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Funding

This work was jointly supported by the National Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment of China (No. 2013ZX07102-005 & 2018ZX07604-003) and the Yunnan Basic Research Project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Qichao Zhou, Lin Li, Licheng Huang, Liangliang Guo & Lirong Song

  2. Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pollution Process and Management of Plateau Lake-Watershed, Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science (Kunming China International Research Center for Plateau Lake), Kunming, 650034, China

    Qichao Zhou & Licheng Huang

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Liangliang Guo

Authors
  1. Qichao Zhou
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  2. Lin Li
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  3. Licheng Huang
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  4. Liangliang Guo
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  5. Lirong Song
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Qichao Zhou or Lirong Song.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Zhou, Q., Li, L., Huang, L. et al. Combining hydrogen peroxide addition with sunlight regulation to control algal blooms. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 2239–2247 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0659-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0659-x

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