Spatial distributions of β-cyclocitral and β-ionone in the sediment and overlying water of the west shore of Taihu Lake.

After large-scale outbreaks of algal blooms in eutrophic water, considerable amounts of algae residue accumulate in near-shore zones before fermenting rapidly and becoming malodorous. Taste and odor pollution caused by secondary metabolites from cyanobacterial blooms has become a serious and widespread environmental problem. Two typical odorous compounds, β-cyclocitral and β-ionone, have gained increasing attention in recent years. In this paper, the spatial distributions of β-cyclocitral and β-ionone in the sediments and overlying water off the west shore of Taihu Lake were investigated. The results showed that β-cyclocitral, β-ionone and nutrients are released during the degradation of fresh cyanobacteria, especially in the early stages. The odorous compounds and nutrients greatly decreased as the depth of sediment increased, indicating that reed roots can absorb β-cyclocitral, β-ionone and nutrients. Furthermore, removing cyanobacteria and dredging sludge might reduce the release of β-cyclocitral and β-ionone.