Combined Application of Natural Sunlight and Hydrogen peroxide on the Removal of Harmful Cyanobacteria

Abstract

This study provides an efficient and environmentally friendly advanced oxidation technique involving the combined application of natural sunlight and hydrogen peroxide for the removal of harmful cyanobacteria from lakes and reservoirs. In this paper, we collected water samples from Taihu Lake (Wuxi, China) in August 2016 when cyanobacterial blooms had occurred and then performed an outdoor experiment. Hydrogen peroxide at 0.6 mM had no obvious effect on the cyanobacterial inactivation in the dark, even stimulating cyanobacterial growth to some extent. Cyanobacteria were inactivated by higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (1.0 mM) in the dark, as well as 0.4 mM hydrogen peroxide under sunlight irradiation, indicating that natural sunlight significantly enhanced the effect of hydrogen peroxide on the removal of cyanobacteria. An experiment involving Pseudanabaena sp. (a harmful species) led to similar conclusions as the study using algae attained from Taihu Lake. This study provides a practical and effective method for controlling harmful cyanobacteria in natural water bodies.