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di Biologia Vegetale, Universit`a Federico II, Via Foria 223, I-80139 Napoli, Italy
di Chimica Organica e Biochimica, Universit`a Federico II, Via Cynthia 4, I-80126 Napoli, Italy
Author for correspondence (Fax: +39-081-450165; E-mail: gabriele.pinto@unina.it)
2 Dipartimento
Received 3 May 2002; Revisions requested 22 May 2002/11 July 2002; Revisions received 9 July 2002/7 October 2002; Accepted 8 October
2002
Abstract
Two green microalgae, Ankistrodesmus braunii and Scenedesmus quadricauda, degraded phenols (each tested at
400 mg ml1 ) selected from olive-oil mill wastewaters, within 5 days, with a removal greater than 70%. Green
algae may, therefore, represent an alternative to other biological treatment used for the biodegradation of phenolcontaining wastewaters.
Introduction
Phenolic compounds are among the most frequently
occurring pollutants of surface waters as they are the
waste products of many industrial activities. Their
abatement in sewage treatment plants is often unsatisfactory because phenolics are highly toxic to anaerobic
and aerobic bacteria (Capasso et al. 1995). For this
reason the phenol detoxification potential of different
microrganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, has been
extensively studied (Kahru et al. 1998). In the last
decade the possible use of the unicellular chrysophyte,
Ochromonas danica, has been investigated for the
degradation of phenols in the dark and in aerobic conditions. This alga is able to carry out the metacleavage
of exogenous phenol, utilizing the connected reactions
for its energetic requirements (Semple et al. 1999). On
the other hand, Ochromonas is not completely suitable
for the treatment of wastewaters as it is not suitable
for mass cultivation. As with other Chrysophytes, this
organism possesses an endogenous mechanism of regulation, limiting the number of vegetative cells within
a population (van den Hoek et al. 1995).
In general, the algae most frequently used in wastewater treatment are green unicellular or coenobic algae
(Hoffmann 1998). In addition, algal systems with filamentous cyanobacteria have been proposed for the
secondary and tertiary treatment of wastewaters (Talbot & de la Noe 1993) since the intensive algal
growth in open ponds causes increases in pH which
can be tolerated by cyanobacteria.
Both cyanobacteria and green algae are sensitive to
phenolics whose toxicity is related to the number and
to the polarity of the substituents on the aromatic ring
(Della Greca et al. 1992). However, some algal strains
can metabolise phenylpropanoids such as -asarone at
104 M (Pollio et al. 1993).
The objective of this study was to screen bluegreen and green algae in the search for phenolresistant strains. The strains so far isolated have been
tested for their ability to remove from the culture media simple phenols selected among those found in
wastewaters from olive oil mill wastewaters, whose
toxicity is due mainly to the presence of large amounts
of these compounds.
Materials and methods
The algae listed in Table 1 were obtained from the
Cambridge Collection of Algae and Protozoa, UK
(CCAP), from the Algal Collection at the University
of Texas at Austin, USA (UTEX), from Sammlung
of Algenkulturen, Gttingen, Germany (SAG) and
from Algal Collection at the University of Naples
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Fig. 2. Removal (%) of phenols by T 76 Scenedesmus quadricauda after 5 or 10 days of exposure. The initial concentration of each phenol was
400 mg ml1 . Operating conditions: pH 6.2, 25 C, total irradiance: 100 E m2 sec1 , provided by daylight fluorescent lamps. The tests
were carried out in 100 ml Erlenmeyer flasks containing 50 ml of algal suspension (mean SD, n = 2).
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Chlorophyta
Cyanopyta
0.05 g
0.1 g
0.15 g
0.2 g
Anabaena flos-aquae
Aulosira terrestre
Fremyella diplosiphon
Fischerella ambigua
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
Nostoc commune
Nodularia sphaerocarpa
Phormidium autumnale
Scytonema hofmanni
Synechococcus leopolensis
Ankistrodesmus braunii
Chlamydomonas applanata
Chlorella emersonii
Chlorella saccharophila
Chlorella zofingiensis
Coccomyxa elongata
Coelastrum microporum
+++
+
+++
++
+++
+++
+++
+++
++
+++
+++
+
+++
++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+
+++
+++
+++
+++
+++
+
+++
+++
Friedmania israeliensis
Mesotaenium caldariorum
Pseudococcomyxa adherens
Scenedesmus quadricauda
Selenastrum capricornutum
Stichococcus bacillaris
++
+++
+++
+
+++
+
+++
+
+++
+++
++
+++
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Fig. 3. Removal (%) of phenols by 202-7a Ankistrodesmus braunii after 5 or 10 days of exposure. The initial concentration of each phenol was
400 mg ml1 . Operating conditions: pH 6.2, 25 C, total irradiance: 100 E m2 sec1 , provided by daylight fluorescent lamps. The tests
were carried out in 100 ml Erlenmeyer flasks containing 50 ml of algal suspension (mean SD, n = 2).
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ters. Further studies are in progress to establish if both
strains are able to carry out the degradation of phenolic
mixtures in the dark, and by using cell immobilization
technologies to improve the removed yields.
Acknowledgement
This work was performed in the framework of project
Ambiente Terrestre: Chimica per lAmbiente (Cluster 11-A) del Consorzio Interuniversitario La Chimica
per lAmbiente, financed by M.I.U.R. (Legge 488/92).
References
Capasso R, Evidente A, Schivo L, Orru G, Marcialis MA, Cristinzio
R (1995) Antibacterial polyphenols from olive oil mill waste
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Della Greca M, Fiorentino A, Pinto G, Pollio A, Previtera L (1996)
Regiospecific reduction of adrenosterone to 11-ketosterone by
microalga T76 Scenedesmus quadricauda. Biotechnol. Lett. 18:
639642.
Della Greca M, Monaco P, Pinto G, Pollio A, Previtera L, Temussi
F (2001) Phytotoxicity of low-molecular-weight phenols from
olive mill waste waters. B. Environ. Contam. Tox. 67: 352359.