Metal Removal by Biomass: Physico‐Chemical Elimination Methods

The Effect of Biomass (Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus armatus) Concentrations on Zn 2+ , Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ Biosorption from Zinc Smelting Wastewater

“…Furthermore, the biomass always has a finite number of binding sites. Consequently, the modification does not create new sites, but only releases the occupied ones [5,16,19].…”

“…The literature and preliminary studies conducted by the authors showed that this is the proper time to reach equilibrium [3,5,19]. After that time the pH values were measured and afterwards the biomass was removed by filtration through a 0.45 µm membrane filter.…”

“…They include treatment with solutions of different acids, alkalis, organic solvents and other chemicals [5,19,20]. However, the information on the performance of chemically modified algae for smelter wastewater treatment has not been investigated previously.…”

“…They include precipitation, ion exchange, membrane separation, adsorption, electrochemical treatment, solvent extraction, evaporation and reverse osmosis. However, most of these processes are expensive and not environmentally friendly, since waste products and toxic sludge are produced, which have to be disposed [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Hence, the development of efficient and inexpensive methods for heavy metals removal may be crucial.…”

“…Microorganisms which have been tested for active (bioaccumulation) or passive (biosorption) heavy metals accumulation include bacteria, algae, fungi or yeast [3,5,[9][10][11][12]. Microalgae, as well as living or dead forms are being increasingly used as metal biosorbents [13][14][15].…”