Interaction between metallic species and biological substrates: approximation to possible interaction mechanisms between the alga Chlorella vulgaris and arsenic(III)

In contrast to the present general use of instrumental methods for metal sp eciation, methods that use biological substrates are being developed. This article reviews the accumulation of arsenic species by micro-organisms (alg ae, bacteria, etc.). So far, various studies have concentrated mainly on ob serving whether or not a specific biological substrate accumulates a total element or just one of its species. The purpose of the present study is to open a new pathway in this field by approaching the interaction mechanisms between biological substrates and metallic species. For this, previous rese arch on the interaction between the species As(111) and the alga Chlorella vulgaris is considered. In this way, the use of biological substrates appea rs to have potential applications not only for metallic speciation or metal lic accumulation, but also for the transformation of the most toxic metalli c species into others having less environmental Science B.V. All rights int o others having risk. (C) 2000 Elsevier reserved.