BIOREMEDIATION OF HEAVY METALS PRESENT IN INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER
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Date
2009
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Publisher
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Abstract
Numerous human activities (mining, agriculture, industries etc.) discharge huge amount of
wastewater (WW) into water ecosystems without any purification or treatment that contained
toxic heavy metals (THMs) such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb)
and zinc (Zn). Removal of these THMs is very essential to protect environment and human
health. One of the promising and attractive technologies to remove THMs from WW or
aqueous media is through various biomasses such as fresh water algae that can remove THMs
very efficiently.
Four freshwater algae including Cladophora glomerata, Oedogonium westii, Vaucheria
debaryana and Zygnema insigne were tested for their bioaccumulation capacity of selected
THMs such as Cd, Cr and Pb in control environment with average temperature of 18°C, and
light/dark duration of 12:12h. Experiments were performed in aqueous solutions containing
selected toxic heavy metals (THMs) (ranged from 0.05 to 1.5 mg L-1) with 0.5 g of living
algae at 18°C and pH 6.8. The results indicated that C. glomerata was observed the most
competent representative for the removal of Cr, Cd and Pb from aqueous solutions. THMs
removal trends were in order of Cd ˃ Cr ˃ Pb, while removal efficiency of selected algae
species was in order of C. glomerata, O. westii, V. debaryana and Z. insigne. Bioaccumulation
capacity of C. glomerata, V. debaryana and Z. insigne was observed contrarily for different
THMs. Removal of THMs was higher at low level of THMs in aqueous solutions. The results
indicated that C. glomerata, O. westii, V. debaryana and Z. insigne had significant (P ≤ 0.01)
diverse bioaccumulation capacity for Cr, Cd and Pb.