Extraction of allelochemicals from poplar alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping effluents and their allelopathic effects on Microcystis aeruginosa

Abstract

In this study, allelochemicals were extracted from pulping effluents rather than from the raw material of plants. Herein, five organic solvents (ethyl acetate (EAC), methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), dichloromethane (DCM), carbon tetrachloride (CTC), and petroleum (PE)) were applied to separately extracting the allelochemicals from alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) effluents. The results from the algal density, inhibition ratio, and optical density of 446 nm (OD446nm) concluded that the extractives from the APMP effluents can act as effective allelochemicals and showed noticeable allelopathic inhibition effects on Microcystis aeruginosa growth. The results indicated that organic solvent extraction could be a practical approach to isolate the allelochemicals from the APMP effluents, which would broaden the potential application of the APMP effluents in the production of antimicrobial agents and other value-added materials.