Feasibility study of removal heavy metals by micoalgae

The increasing development of industries has led to the production of high volumes of wastewater some of which include pesticides, heavy metals and other toxic compounds. In some cases, toxic compounds can be reduced by biological purification, but in the case of heavy metals, they remain in sediments and cause water contamination. Biological elimination using bio systems to remove metal ions from contaminated water has the potential to achieve cost-effective operation compared to other methods for removing heavy metals. Microalgae have high ability to absorb and neutralize the toxic effects of heavy metal ions with high removal efficiency, these ions include copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), etc., For example, the Scenedesmus Obliquus species is able to remove 100% of cadmium (Cd) from the wastewater. Microalgae have various industrial applications, involving a reduction in the cost of biofuels production. Among these applications, the treatment of sewage and the environmental impacts of microalgae are of vital importance.

Keywords:

microalgae , heavy metal , biological absorption , wastewater treatment