Carbon content and hydrocarbon generation potential of Prorocentrum donghaiense in response to culture temperature...

Dinoflagellates are among the most primitive eukaryotic autotrophic organisms, and they dominated the marine phytoplankton during the Mesozoic era. The phenomenon of global warming has resulted in dinoflagellates becoming the primary algal taxa responsible for the occurrence of red tides in the ocean. Prorocentrum donghaiense, a non-toxic dinoflagellate, is distributed widely. This study represents an important work in simulating the carbon content and hydrocarbon generation potential of P. donghaiense through pure cultivation in the laboratory under temperatures ranging from 19 to 34 °C. The distribution of carbon within the organic matter structure was investigated by utilizing solid-state ¹³C-NMR technology at various incubation temperatures. In order to study its elemental composition and hydrocarbon potential, elemental analyses, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and confined pyrolysis experiments were conducted. The results obtained demonstrated that the organic carbon of dinoflagellates was predominantly in the form of aliphatic carbon. In the context of elevated ambient temperatures, the alkyl carbon content in the aliphatic carbon exhibited a pronounced increase in comparison to the low-temperature environment. This increase was accompanied by a substantial positive correlation with temperature. It is hypothesized that alterations in the temperature of the incubation medium may have exerted an influence on the organic carbon structure, thereby enhancing the oil and gas potential of P. donghaiense.