Effect of calcium peroxide on the growth and proliferation ofMicrocystis aerusinosa, a water-blooming cyanobacterium

The potential of calcium peroxide to act as an agent for waterblooming control was investigated by examining the growth inhibition ofMicrocystis aerusinosa. Due to the chemical nature of calcium peroxide, it can remove dissolved phosphate by forming an insoluble precipitate, generating radicals, coagulant, and oxygen as byproducts as it dissolves in water. The growth ofM. aerusinosa was severely inhibited and the chlorophyll-a concentration was drastically decreased in the presence of calcium peroxide. With 200 ppm of calcium peroxide dosage, a chlorophyll-a concentration of 1,700 mg/m³ was lowered to below 10% of its initial concentration after 4 days. One possible explanation for this growth inhibition is the removal of the available phosphate by calcium peroxide.