PECULIARITIES OF BIOSORPTION OF HEAVY-METALS BY SPIRULINA-PLATENSIS CELLS FROM MIXED-SOLUTIONS

Experimental data on the sorption of ionic gold by the living and inac tivated cells of Spirulina platensis blue-green algae are reported. It was shown that in the presence of competing ions, in particular, Co o r Mn, the sorption properties of the cells are changed substantially: upon the simultaneous addition of competing ions, the sorption ability of the living cells is higher than that of the killed cells, given th at the concentration of competing cations does not exceed 0.1 mM. At h igher concentrations of Co or Mn ions, the sorption in both cases is s imilar and is about 1 mg of metal per 1 g of dry biomass. The sorption parameters of inactivated cells become higher than those for metaboli zing cells when the cells are preincubated with Co and Mn salts prior to the addition of ionic gold. The possible mechanisms of the regulari ties disclosed and the fields of their practical applications are disc ussed.