Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4415838 | Chemosphere | 2007 | 8 Pages |
Axenic plantlets derived from three species of marine macroalgae, the temperate green alga Acrosiphonia coalita, the temperate red alga Porphyra yezoensis, and the tropical red alga Portieria hornemannii, all possessed a similar metabolic route to remove the explosive compound 2,4,6-trinitrotolune (TNT) from seawater. At a biomass density of 1.2 g l−1 and initial TNT concentrations of 10 mg l−1 or less, TNT removal from seawater was 100% within 72 h for P. hornemannii and P. yezoensis. Specific rate constants for TNT uptake were 0.016–0.018 l g−1 FW h−1 for A. coalita filaments, 0.047–0.062 l g−1 FW h−1 for P. yezoensis blades, and 0.037–0.049 l g−1 FW h−1 for P. hornemannii microplantlets. Only trace amounts of TNT were found within the biomass. All species reduced TNT to 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene and 4-amino-2,6-dintrotoluene, but these products never accounted for more than 20% of the initial TNT.