Advanced characterization of dissolved organic matter released by bloom-forming marine algae
Type
ArticleAuthors
Rehman, Zahid Ur
Jeong, Sanghyun
Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh

Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.
Leiknes, TorOve

KAUST Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) DivisionEnvironmental Science and Engineering Program
Imaging and Characterization Core Lab
NMR
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
Date
2017Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/625599
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Algal organic matter (AOM), produced by marine phytoplankton during bloom periods, may adversely affect the performance of membrane processes in seawater desalination. The polysaccharide fraction of AOM has been related to (bio)fouling in micro-filtration and ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis membranes. However, so far, the chemical structure of the polysaccharides released by bloom-forming algae is not well understood. In this study, dissolved fraction of AOM produced by three algal species (Chaetoceros affinis, Nitzschia epithemoides and Hymenomonas spp.) was characterized using liquid chromatography–organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Chemical structure of polysaccharides isolated from the AOM solutions at stationary phase was analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR). The results showed that production and composition of dissolved AOM varied depending on algal species and their growth stage. AOM was mainly composed of biopolymers (BP; i.e., polysaccharides and proteins [PN]), but some refractory substances were also present.H-NMR spectra confirmed the predominance of carbohydrates in all samples. Furthermore, similar fingerprints were observed for polysaccharides of two diatom species, which differed considerably from that of coccolithophores. Based on the findings of this study,H-NMR could be used as a method for analyzing chemical profiles of algal polysaccharides to enhance the understanding of their impact on membrane fouling.Citation
Rehman ZU, Jeong S, Tabatabai S.A.A. , Emwas A, -H. , Leiknes T (2017) Advanced characterization of dissolved organic matter released by bloom-forming marine algae. DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT 69: 1–11. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.5004/dwt.2017.0444.Sponsors
This study was supported by funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).Publisher
Desalination PublicationsJournal
DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENTAdditional Links
http://www.deswater.com/DWT_articles/vol_69_papers/69_2017_1.pdfae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.5004/dwt.2017.0444