On-line monitoring of cyanobacteria to predict coagulant doses and powdered activated carbon application in water treatment

The aim of this study is to assist ensuring water quality guidelines are met during cyanobacteria blooms by developing a protocol for the application of an on-line analyser to obtain real-time information to direct coagulant and powdered activated carbon doses. This will be achieved via a series of objectives:

• The calibration of fluorescence probes for accurate cyanobacteria enumeration in a range of water quality conditions
• The estimation and validation of cyanobacteria metabolites cell quotas and intra- and extra-partitioning for cultured and environmental cyanobacteria samples
• The application and validation of the probe for the ‘real time’ determination of cell numbers and extracellular metabolite concentration to control PAC dose
• The application and validation of the probe to assist in directing coagulant doses in the presence of cyanobacteria to achieve filtered water quality goals
• The determination of the feasibility of the application of the probes as an on-line tool at a full-scale plant