BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION PROCESSES FOR THE REMOVAL OF ALGAL METABOLITES

摘要

The Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment is supporting a major research project focussed on the removal of algal metabolites from drinking water using biological filtration processes. The metabolites are the taste and odour compounds MIB and geosmin, and the algal toxins microcystin and cylindrospermopsin. The very promising results so far show that all of the metabolites are susceptible to biological degradation; however, a lag period is sometimes evident prior to significant degradation of the metabolites. A major future focus of the project will be the identification of the cause of the lag period in order to minimise or eliminate it.