CHARACTERIZATION BY PHOTOACOUSTIC-SPECTROSCOPY OF THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC SCENEDESMUS-ARMATUS SYSTEM AFFECTED BY FUEL-OIL CONTAMINATION

The effect of aqueous fuel oil extract (AFOE)(1) on the photosynthetic system in green algae Scenedesmus armatus cultures was examined by photoacoustic spectroscopy. After a 24-h culture growth, the photosynthetic energy storage (ES) decreased, with increasing AFOE concentration in the culture. In these algae, ES is lowered by 41% by a 90% AFOE concentration. The plot of relative ES vs the measuring light intensity, i.e., analogous to the classic photosynthesis light-saturation curve, was determined for the fuel oil-affected culture, and a simple mathematical formula was adopted to derive the photosynthetic system parameters.