Abstract

The objective of this research was to utilize microalgae Chlorella sp. and Spirulina sp., as biosorption agents for heavy metals removal available in textile waste water. The biosorption of Cu and Cr ions from textile waste water solutions by immobilized algae (Spirulina and Chlorella) were tested under laboratory conditions as a function of waste concentration (15-50% dilution) and ratio of bead and waste water (1:1-1:3). Experimental results showed that the Langmuir adsorption models were suitable for describing the short-term biosorption of by all algal species. The best ratio of bead: wastewater (v/v) for removal heavy metal in textile wastewater was 1:3. The maximum Cu removed from the waste was 89% while Cr was removed with 90% by using Chlorella sp. The algae Spirulina showed a higher removal capacity of 90%. The maximum absorption capacity of Cu was achieved at 16.2 and 13.6 mg/g by using Spirulina and Chlorella, respectively, while the maximum sorption capacity for Cr was achieved at 1.95 and 1.45 mg/g for algae Spirulina and Chlorella, respectively.

Keywords:

Biosorption, heavy metal, immobilized microalgae, textile wastewater,

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Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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