Water-Bloom Treatment by Underwater Pulsed Streamer-Like Discharges

Summary form only given. Cyanobacteria blooms (or water blooms) occurs on the surface of water bodies frequently and extensively due to eutrophia of the water. Those have caused more and more serious environmental problems world-wide. Here, we report the effects of pulsed streamer-like discharges on
M. aeruginosa
cells, which are one genus of cyanobacteria and form water blooms easily. The point to cylinder electrode, having a stainless needle with 30 mum in tip diameter and a stainless cylinder with 30 cm in diameter, is used as a discharge reactor, where 2mus-160kV pulsed voltage is applied. A pulsed streamer-like discharges are obtained in the water filled with cyanobacteria cells. After applying single discharge, the colonies of the cells sink to the bottom of the discharge chamber. From the TEM observation of cells, it can be found that the discharge mainly collapses the intracellular structure - gas vesicles without the damage of the other part of structure. It is concluded that the gas vesicles of the cells collapse and cells sink to the bottom of the water bodies by applying pulsed streamer-like discharges to water bodies with cyanobacteria cells before the water bloom occurs. Therefore the cells multiplication and the water bloom formation can be prevented.