Abstract
The growth of algae in lake-reservoir water bodies is a natural phenomenon. However, in recent years, intensive human activities have led to excessive emissions of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, resulting in eutrophication in an increasing number of water bodies. Frequent outbreaks of cyanobacterial blooms in large lakes such as Taihu, Chaohu, and Dianchi have drawn significant public attention. Nonetheless, eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms are not necessarily linked to odor issues in drinking water. Typical odor-producing algae, such as Oscillatoria and Planktothrix, are often unable to dominate in eutrophic water bodies. In contrast, deep-water/benthic odor-producing algae gain a competitive advantage in water bodies with moderate nutrient levels due to their ability to absorb nutrients from the bottom. This explains why odor issues frequently occur even in less eutrophic, relatively high-quality water sources.
In addition to cyanobacteria that produce earthy-musty odor compounds like MIB (2-methylisoborneol) and geosmin, certain diatoms and chrysophytes also produce fishy-smelling compounds. Fishy odors have received less attention in the past, as these odor-producing algae often thrive in cold or even ice-covered conditions, with related issues primarily affecting northern regions, especially the Yellow River basin. While Chapter 2 introduced the main odor compounds produced by algae, this chapter focuses on the odor-producing characteristics and environmental behavior of typical odor-producing algae.
Outline
Citation
@incollection{su2021dian,
title = {Chapter 4: Environmental Behavior and Odor-Producing Characteristics of Typical Odor-Producing Algae},
editor = {Min Yang and Jianwei Yu and et al.},
booktitle = {Odor Problems in Drinking Water: Sources and Control},
publisher = {China Science Publishing & Media Ltd. (CPSM)},
pages = {120-161},
year = {2021},
isbn = {9787030677112},
author = {Ming Su}
}