Quantification of the ultrasound induced sedimentation of Microcystis aeruginosa

Alfonso Rodriguez-Molares; Sandy Dickson; Peter Hobson; Carl Howard; Anthony Zander; Mike Burch

doi:10.1016/j.ultsonch.2014.01.027

Quantification of the ultrasound induced sedimentation of Microcystis aeruginosa

Ultrason Sonochem. 2014 Jul;21(4):1299-304. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2014.01.027. Epub 2014 Feb 27.

Authors

Alfonso Rodriguez-Molares¹, Sandy Dickson², Peter Hobson³, Carl Howard⁴, Anthony Zander⁴, Mike Burch²

Affiliations

¹ School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Australia. Electronic address: alfonso.rodriguezmolares@adelaide.edu.au.
² Australian Water Quality Centre, SA Water Corporation, Australia; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Australia.
³ Australian Water Quality Centre, SA Water Corporation, Australia.
⁴ School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Australia.

PMID: 24636363
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2014.01.027

Abstract

It has been known for more than 40 years that vacuolate organisms can be induced to sediment with ultrasound. However, robust indicators are still needed to compare the efficacy of different treatments. A repeatable index is proposed that makes it possible to quantify the ultrasonic induced sedimentation. The procedure is used to monitor the long term sedimentation of Microcystis aeruginosa after sonication. Results reveal that the sedimentation process continues after gas vesicles have fully recovered, although at a slower rate.

Keywords: Buoyancy; Collapse; Cyanobacteria; Gas vesicle; Sedimentation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Microcystis / chemistry*
Microcystis / cytology
Sonication*