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Abstract(s)
Algal blooms are, generally, controlled by chemical and/or physical methods. However,
these methods can be toxic and/or deleterious to biota, laborious, expensive and
short‐lived. The most effective control measure is reducing the amount of available
nutrients in water. Biofilm is amongst the most efficient organisms in removing
dissolved nutrients in aquatic ecosystems. Micro and mesocosm experiments carried
out by the team tested the magnitude of nutrient uptake by biofilm using water from a
lake and of a sewage plant treatment. Artificial substrates (plastic bands) were used in
order to stimulate biofilm colonization. Results, for both river and sewage treatment
water, revealed that similar proportion of total inorganic nitrogen and total
phosphorous, 58 and 57%, respectively, was captured during the 45 days of
experimentation, confirmed by the significant decrease of chlorophyll a concentration
and by the increasing of water transparency in the treatments with biofilm. The
Fervença River is a mountain river, flowing for about 25 km, and discharging into Sabor
River (River Douro watershed). It is subjected to high levels of disturbance: the upper
section receives diffuse nutrient inputs (namely nitrogen and phosphorous) mainly
generate by agricultural activities; the middle section, which flows through Bragança
city, has been regulated, several pools were created and riparian vegetation was fully
removed from the left bank; the lower section receives the effluent from the sewage
treatment plant, inputting an additional charge of nutrients. Therefore, due to
eutrophication and reduced shade, blooms of filamentous algae occur frequently, both
in the middle and in the lower sections, impacting water quality, recreational and
aesthetic value of the fluvial landscape. In the present communication, the
applicability and the potential use of this environmental‐friendly methodology, directly
"in‐situ" and/or in sewage plant, as a means of preventing Fervença River
eutrophication and the excessive algal growth, will be discussed.
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Citation
Geraldes, Ana Maria; Sousa, Cynthia Eustáquio de; Crispim, Maria Cristina (2016). Biofilm as nutrient removal from eutrophic waters: potential applications in a mountain urban river (Fervença River, NE Portugal). In I International Conference on Research for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions. Bragança: Instituto Politécnico. ISBN 978‐ 972‐745‐214‐9