BIOREMOVAL OF HEAVY-METALS BY THE USE OF MICROALGAE

Bioremoval, the use of biological systems for the removal of metal ion s from polluted waters, ha2 the potential to achieve greater performan ce at lower cost than conventional wastewater treatment technologies f or metal removal. Bioremoval capabilities of microalgae have been exte nsively studied, and some commercial applications have been initiated. Although microalgae are not unique in their bioremoval capabilities, they offer advantages over other biological materials in some conceptu al bioremoval process schemes. Selected microalgae strains, purposeful ly cultivated and processed for specific bioremoval applications, have the potential to provide significant improvements in dealing with the world-wide problems of metal pollution. In addition to strain selecti on, significant advances in the technology appear possible by improvin g biomass containment or immobilization techniques and by developing b ioremoval process steps utilizing metabolically active microalgae cult ures. The latter approach is especially attractive in applications whe re extremely low levels of residual metal ions are desired. This revie w summarizes the current literature, highlighting the potential benefi ts and problems associated with the development of novel algal-based b ioremoval processes for the abatement of heavy metal pollution.