Release of intracellular cyanotoxins during oxidation of natural bloom samples and laboratory cultured cells

Two-year WaterRA project to investigate how pre-oxidation of cyanobacterial populations in source water and wastewater lagoons influences subsequent treatment of both cells and cyanotoxins.

This project will improve our knowledge of the phenomena governing the oxidation of cyanobacteria and the release of cyanotoxins.

Successful oxidation of cyanobacterial cells and their associated toxins is a major challenge for water utilities during water treatment and wastewater reuse. Traditional oxidation by chlorine can lyse cells and release toxins into the water, while also producing disinfection by-products. Hydrogen peroxide has been shown to be effective for the destruction of cyanobacterial cells and it has the additional benefit of breaking down into benign products.

However, it is not clear what effect the hydrogen peroxide will have, if any, on the toxins released due to cell lysis.