KMnO4 pre-oxidation for Microcystis aeruginosa removal by a low dosage of flocculant.

The effects of the flocculant composed of autoclaved fly-ash brick and chitosan for algae Microcystis aeruginosa removal were investigated. The results showed that when 1 mL flocculant was added in 25 mL algae suspension, which initial density was 10 6 cells/mL, the removal rate of algae reached 88.4%. In order to enhance the removal efficiency, pre-oxidation with KMnO 4 was studied. The results indicated that it could improve algae coagulation removal by 9.44% when it was pre-oxidized by KMnO 4 with the concentration of 0.9 mg/L. The cells of M. aeruginosa sunk quickly, thus the algal cells were removed completely. In conclusion, the combined flocculant owns the advantages of low concentration, short reaction time, and could be employed for algae control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]