Abstract
Macroalgae have received much attention for heavy metal removal in treatment of domestic wastewater. In this report, the uptake capacity of a common freshwater green alga, Cladophora fracta, for heavy metal ions (copper, zinc, cadmium, and mercury) was evaluated. The equilibrium adsorption capacities were 2.388 mg Cu2+, 1.623 mg Zn2+, 0.240 mg Cd2+, and 0.228 mg Hg2+ per gram of living algae at 18°C and pH 5.0. The removal efficiency for Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ were 99, 85, 97, and 98%, respectively. Greater removal efficiency was achieved when the concentrations of metal ions were at very low level. The results indicated that living algae are suitable for removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions and can be a potential tool to treat industrial wastewater.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. JA Jiao (Vice President, Process Development, Hematech LLC, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA) for his critical reviews of the manuscript and editorial assistance with the English language. This work was supported by the foundation of Plateform Construction Project of Infrastructure for Science and Technology of Shanxi (2009091015).
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Ji, L., Xie, S., Feng, J. et al. Heavy metal uptake capacities by the common freshwater green alga Cladophora fracta . J Appl Phycol 24, 979–983 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9721-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-011-9721-0