Marine algae - a source of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene

• Our results show the natural production of two olefins, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, by various marine macroalgae and a microalga. We found significant difference in the ability of the algae to produce these compounds. The production rates for trichloroethylenevaried between 0.022 and 3,400 ng g-l fresh wt (FW)h-l and were generally higher than those for perchloroethylene(0.0026-8.2 ng g-l FW h-l). The two subtropicalalgae, Asparagopsis taxiformis and Falkenbergia hillebrandii,showed the highest formation rates. One axenicmarine red microalga, Porphyridium purpureum, was alsotested and it could also produce trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene.The measured rates suggest that the emissionof trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene from theoceans to the atmosphere may be of such a magnitude thatit cannot be neglected in the global atmospheric chlorinebudget.

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