Selecting the Most Sustainable Phosphorus Adsorbent for Lake Restoration: Effects on the Photosynthetic Activity of Chlorella sp.

Abstract

To promote the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, it is essential to delve into restoration techniques for selecting the most sustainable option for combating eutrophication. Hence, we study the effects of novel phosphorus (P) adsorbents (magnetic carbonyl iron particles, HQ, and two non-magnetic P adsorbents: CFH-12® and Phoslock®) on the growth and photosynthetic activity of Chlorella sp. More specifically, the intrinsic photochemical efficiency of PSII (ΦPSII) and the nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) were measured in Chlorella sp. after different contact times with different concentrations of these adsorbents. Our initial hypothesis was that non-magnetic P adsorbents have more effects on the organisms than magnetic ones. However, our results did not show strong evidence of inhibitory effects caused by HQ nor CFH-12® (no significant effect size on ΦPSII), while Phoslock® showed inhibitory effects on the photosynthetic activity of Chlorella sp. for any of its concentrations (NPQ = 0). Lastly, we compared the effect of the studied P adsorbents in a real application scenery (Honda wetland, Spain). For this study case, it is likely that CFH-12® and HQ doses would not cause any negative effects on photosynthetic efficiency while Phoslock®, by limiting light availability, will drastically reduce it.