Biosorption of Fe (II) by Scenedesmus sp. in batch and continuous systems

Abstract

The removal of toxic or economically important heavy metal ions from wastewaters is of great importance from an environmental and industrial viewpoint. The biosorption of heavy metal ions by algae is a promising property with a potential for industrial use. The focus of this chapter is on investigating the biosorption of single- and multi-metal ions to free and immobilized micro algae in batch and continuous systems. There will be a discussion of heavy metal pollution, the usage and advantages of free and immobilized algal cells for heavy metal removal, biosorption mechanisms and developing isotherms in single- and multi-metal systems. Mathematical description of biosorption of a single metal ion to algae in a batch and in a continuous fixed bed column will also be presented and discussed.