The paper presents fundamental studies on natural biosorption to algae of heavy metals. The investigations were carried out by TU Berlin University in a special research project (Sfb 193, 'Biologische Behandlung industrieller und gewerblicher Abwaesser'). The chlorophyceae C. vulgaris was used as reference alga, and 38 further algae were analzyed with regard to their sorption characteristics for lead, cadmium, nickel and zinc. The most effective algae were the chlorophyceae C. salina, the cyanophyceae S. hofmani and L. taylorii. The biosorption characteristics of C. salina and L. taylorii were investigated in detail. L. taylorii was found to be exploitable successfully in a technical process, so the investigations were extended to include copper. Knowledge about the chemical processes of biosorption is important for any attempt to modify the biosorption characteristics. Experiments on the incorporation of additional functional ...
The hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), biosorption by raw and acid-treated Oedogonium hatei were studied from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the biosorption properties of the biomass. The optimum conditions of biosorption were found to be: a biomass dose of 0.8 g/L, contact time of 110 min, pH and temperature 2.0 and 318 K respectively. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations could fit the equilibrium data. Under the optimal conditions, the biosorption capacities of the raw and acid-treated algae were 31 and 35.2 mg Cr(VI) per g of dry adsorbent, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto algal biomass was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic under studied conditions. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model adequately describe the kinetic data in comparison to second-order model and the process involving rate-controlling step is much complex involving both boundary layer and intra-particle ...
Phytoplankton community composition, density, and succession were studied in tropical commercial ponds with euryhaline tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius) using green-water technology at two different stocking densities [T1 10 post-larvae (PL) m?2 and T2 15 PL m?2] in one grow-out season (May?October 2005) in Leganes, Iloilo, Philippines. Weekly qualitative and quantitative analyses of phytoplankton were done along with physicochemical analyses of the pond waters. A total of 103 taxa belonging to nine different algal classes were observed. Of these classes, the Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Bacillariophyceae constituted the great bulk of the phytoplankton population. The two treatments did not show any significant differences in the growth pattern of phytoplankton over time and in t...