The collapse of dense algal blooms is identified as a significant source of methane (CH4) emissions. When flocculation is used for algae removal, algal carbon is often turned into CH4 and carbon dioxide (CO2). Here, we established a "bio-pump" to control algal blooms and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the introduction of submerged macrophytes to the aquatic ecosystem and combination of flocculation and capping. The results suggested that this strategy contributed to an approximately 98% algae removal and sustainably improved dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water and sediment after the 40-day incubation. The aerobic condition at the sediment-water interface and deeper oxygen penetration in the sediment inhibited the abundance of microorganisms related to anaerobic CH4 production, then changed the metabolic pathway and fate of algal carbon. After the 40-day incubation, compared with flocculation-capping treatments, the bio-pump reduced 69.07% CH4 and 77.57% CO2 emissions, which was jointly contributed by the inhibition of anaerobic CH4 production, aerobic oxidation of CH4 and carbon sequestration of submerged macrophytes. This was also demonstrated from the finding of a decrease in methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) gene, an increase in particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) gene and the absorption of 13C-labeled from algae biomass by submerged macrophytes at the end of incubation. Therefore, the bio-pump established in the present study can improve DO in algal blooms water and turn algal-derived organic matter into the plant biomass, which supplied a sustainable method for algae removal and GHG reduction.
Keywords: Algae removal; Bio-pump; Carbon sequestration; GHG reduction; Sustainable DO improvement.
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