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Removal of phenol by Isochrysis galbana in seawater under varying temperature and light intensity

  • Ecology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Phenol is a common industrial chemical produced and transported worldwide largely. Therefore, accidental spillage of phenol in the ocean causes an increasing concern. Microalgae are promising to remove phenol from marine waters. However, temperature and light intensity are two main factors that markedly influence biodegradation in marine environments. In this study, a marine golden alga Isochrysis galbana is selected to research the removal of phenol under different temperatures (10–30°C) and light intensities (0–240 µmol/(m2·s)). The results show that the most suitable temperature and light intensity for phenol removal are 20°C and 180 µmol/(m2·s), respectively, and 100 mg/L of phenol can be completely removed by microalga in 24 h at these conditions. I. galbana can also remove phenol under dark and low-temperature conditions. The removal of phenol by I. galbana at diverse temperatures and light intensities conform to first-order kinetics, and the process under dark conditions conform to zero-order kinetics. Thus, I. galbana can be used in the in-situ bioremediation of polluted seawater by phenol.

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Data Availability Statement

The data generated or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Hao Li, Fanping Meng & Yuejie Wang

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Fanping Meng

  3. National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service, Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing, 100194, China

    Yufei Lin

Authors
  1. Hao Li
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  2. Fanping Meng
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  3. Yuejie Wang
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  4. Yufei Lin
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Correspondence to Fanping Meng.

Additional information

Supported by the National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service, Ministry of Natural Resource of the People’s Republic of China through its Commissioned Research Scheme (No. 2018AA019)

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Li, H., Meng, F., Wang, Y. et al. Removal of phenol by Isochrysis galbana in seawater under varying temperature and light intensity. J. Ocean. Limnol. 38, 773–782 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9125-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9125-6

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