Microcystin Elimination During Sediment Contact

Microcystins (MCYSTs) are a group of structurally similar toxic peptides produced by cyanobacteria (“blue-green algae”) which occur frequently in surface waters worldwide. Reliable elimination is necessary when using these waters as drinking water sources. Bank filtration and artificial groundwater recharge utilize adsorption and degradation processes in the subsurface, commonly through sand and gravel aquifers, for the elimination of a wide range of substances during drinking water (pre-) treatment. To obtain parameters for estimating whether MCYST breakthrough is likely in field settings, we tested MCYST elimination in laboratory experiments (batch experiments, column experiments) under a range of conditions. Adsorption coefficients (k_d-values) obtained from batch studies ranged from 0.2 mL/g for filter sand to 11.6 mL/g for fine grained aquifer materials with 2% fine grains (<63 μm) and 0.8% organic matter. First order degradation rates in column studies reached 1.87 d⁻¹ under aerobic conditions and showed high variations under anoxic conditions (<0.01−1.35 d⁻¹). These results show that, next to sediment texture, redox conditions play an important role for MCYST elimination during sediment passage. Biodegradation was identified as the dominating process for MCYST elimination in sandy aquifer material.