The chemical content of algae and waters: Bioconcentration

Abstract

Abstract Multielement analysis of fresh water algae, including unicellular Euglena sp. and some filamentous Cladophora sp. species, revealed extremely high concentrations of various chemical elements such as Al ∼ 28,000 ppm (mg/L), Sr ∼ 150, Ba ∼ 40, Zn ∼ 150, Pb ∼ 1600, Cu ∼ 200, and Be ∼ 180 ppm. These concentrations are highly variable, and depend on both the algal species and the host environments. Samples were collected from the Elliot Lake (U), Timmins (Au), and Sudbury (Cu, Ni, Pt) mining camps of northern Ontario. These results endorse the premise that microorganisms mediate the transfer of many solutes between hydrosphere and sedimentary regime, and by sequestering toxic metals released from the mine tailings, they are useful in the retardation of metal dispersion into the environment and as a possible mechanism to enhance secondary recovery of precious metals where solute levels are too low for conventional technology.