The effect of heavy metals on the viability of Tetraselmis marina AC16-MESO and an evaluation of the potential use of this microalga in bioremediation

Abstract

The use of microalgae in biotechnological processes has received much attention worldwide. This is primarily due to the fact that they are inexpensive to grow, requiring only sunlight and CO2, whilst lending themselves to a range of uses, such as to reduce CO2 levels, as fish feed, in biofuel production, for the generation of secondary metabolites of interest, and in bioremediation. These features mean that microalgae are excellent candidates for the implementation of a range of eco-friendly technologies. Here, we investigated the behavior and feasibility of the use of the microalgal strain Tetraselmis marina AC16-MESO against heavy metal contamination focused on potential use in bioremediation. The following key parameters were recorded: (i) the sedimentation efficiency, which reached 95.6% after five hours of decantation; (ii) the ion tolerance (Ca2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Mn2+ and Ni2+) at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mg*L−1 and (iii) ion removal efficiency (Cu2+, Fe3+ and Mn2+). Our results indicated a higher tolerance for iron and calcium (20 ± 1.10 mg*L−1; 100 ± 8.10 mg*L−1), partial to nickel, manganese and copper (4.4 ± 0.10 mg*L−1; 4.4 ± 0.15 mg*L−1; 5 ± 1.25 mg*L−1) and less for cobalt (0.1 ± 0.20 mg*L−1). Moreover, removal efficiency of 40–90% for Cu2+, 100% for Fe3+, and 20–50% for Mn2+ over a 72 hours period, for ion concentrations of 1.0 and 5.0 mg*L−1.

Multivariate statistical evaluation of dissolved heavy metals and a water quality assessment in the Lake Aha watershed, Southwest China

“…With the growth of industrial, mining and economic activities, surface water quality is facing enormous challenges (Islam et al, 2015;Vörösmarty et al, 2010). Among challenges, heavy metal contamination is of particular concern (Ariffin et al, 2017;Burakov et al, 2018;Cameron, Mata & Riquelme, 2018;Islam et al, 2015). Dissolved heavy metals in water could readily enter the food chain, which eventually leads to serious health risks to ecosystems and humans (Nguyen et al, 2018;Rehman et al, 2018).…”

Influence of organic matter and CO2 supply on bioremediation of heavy metals by Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus almeriensis in a multimetallic matrix

“…In this context, microalgae have emerged as a promising biosorbent for water treatment due to the presence of a high number of functional groups in their cell wall that contribute to the removal of toxic elements from water in a simple, efficient, and economic manner (Zeraatkar et al, 2016). Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of microalgae species to adsorb HM ions from water, which confirms their high bioremediation potential (Cameron et al, 2018;Torres et al, 2017). For instance, a metal biosorption of 22.3 mg Zn (II)/g was obtained in a solution with 150 mg Zn/L, using the green microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus (Monteiro et al, 2011).…”

Peer Review #1 of "Multivariate statistical evaluation of dissolved heavy metals and a water quality assessment in the Lake Aha watershed, Southwest China (v0.1)"

“…With the growth of industrial, mining and economic activities, surface water quality is facing enormous challenges (Islam et al 2015;Ustaoğlu et al 2020a;Vörösmarty et al 2010). Among challenges, heavy metal contamination is of particular concern (Ariffin et al 2017;Burakov et al 2018;Cameron et al 2018;Islam et al 2015). Dissolved heavy metals in water could readily PeerJ reviewing PDF | (2020:03:46588:1:1:NEW 29 Jun 2020)…”