Geographical and Seasonal Patterns of Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol in Environmental Water in Jiangsu Province of China

Abstract

This study was conducted to obtain the basic data of two common odorants—geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (GSM and 2-MIB)—in environmental water. More specifically, the headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) was applied to determine the levels of GSM and 2-MIB in water samples, and the samples were collected depending on water sources, conventional treatment processes, and seasons. The significant difference was shown for the 2-MIB levels of source water (P < 0.05), the concentrations of GSM and 2-MIB decreased significantly as treatment process of tap water moved forward (P < 0.0001), and the significant differences for the levels of GSM and 2-MIB were observed among three sampling periods (P < 0.01). The levels of GSM and 2-MIB in all water samples were lower than 10 ng L−1, the odor threshold concentration (OTC), and the conventional treatment process plays a significant role in removing odorants in tap water.

Effects of the interaction between nutrient concentration and DIN:SRP ratio on geosmin production by freshwater biofilms

“…Abundant growth of benthic and planktonic cyanobacteria in freshwaters exploited for drinking water purposes has been correlated with the appearance of secondary metabolites, such as geosmin and 2 -methylisoborneol (MIB) (Espinosa et al, 2020;Lee et al, 2017), affecting the organoleptic characteristics of water and influencing both odor and taste, with a consequent negative impact in the perception of the population about the tap water quality (Ding et al, 2014). Although no health risk has been linked to these Taste and Odor compounds (T&Os), they are perceived by humans at very low levels of concentration (Smith et al, 2009), resulting in consumer complaints and representing a challenge for drinking water companies.…”

Driving Factors of Geosmin Appearance in a Mediterranean River Basin: The Ter River Case

“…The difference in the mobilization dynamic of nitrogen and phosphorus from the surface can give rise to changes in the DIN:SRP ratio. Both the concentration of nutrients and the DIN:SRP ratio are factors related to the development of certain cyanobacteria, being described that high nutrient concentrations favor the appearance of cyanobacterial blooms (Dodds and Smith, 2016;Lee et al, 2017), in many cases related to geosmin production (Ding et al, 2014). Similar results were observed in this field study, where higher nutrient concentration may have generated favorable conditions for the cyanobacterial development within biofilm communities (0.91 ± 0.58 µg/cm 2 in T4 compared with 0.33 ± 0.44 µg/cm 2 in T1, mean annual value).…”

Microbial Ecotoxicology Advances to Improve Environmental and Human Health Under Global Change

“…One of these problems, mainly caused by eutrophication and temperature rise, is the uncontrolled and unpredictable growth of algal blooms, frequently associated with organic compounds production, which can be toxic or can alter the water organoleptic characteristics, such as the taste and odor compounds (T&Os) (Clercin and Druschel, 2019). The presence of natural toxins in water often leads to bathing or consumption prohibition, whereas T&Os are a problem for drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) due to the negative impact they have on the user's perception of the drinking water quality (Ding et al, 2014).…”