MARINE-ALGAE - A SOURCE OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE AND PERCHLOROETHYLENE

Our results show the natural production of two olefins, trichloroethyl ene and perchloroethylene, by various marine macroalgae and a microalg a. We found significant difference in the ability of the algae to prod uce these compounds. The production rates for trichloroethylene varied between 0.022 and 3,400 ng g(-1) fresh wt (FW) h(-1) and were general ly higher than those for perchloroethylene (0.0026-8.2 ng g(-1) FW h(- 1)). The two subtropical algae, Asparagopsis taxiformis and Falkenberg ia hillebrandii, showed the highest formation rates. One axenic marine red microalga, Porphyridium purpureum, was also tested and it could a lso produce trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene. The measured rate s suggest that the emission of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene from the oceans to the atmosphere may be of such a magnitude that it cannot be neglected in the global atmospheric chlorine budget.