Biosorption of Heavy Metal Cu<sup>2+</sup> and Cr<sup>2+</sup> in Textile Wastewater by Using Immobilized Algae

Abstract

The objective of this research was to utilize microalgae <em>Chlorella</em> sp. and <em>Spirulina</em> sp., as biosorption agents for heavy metals removal available in textile waste water. The biosorption of Cu and Cr ions from textile waste water solutions by immobilized algae (<em>Spirulina</em> and <em>Chlorella</em>) were tested under laboratory conditions as a function of waste concentration (15-50% dilution) and ratio of bead and waste water (1:1-1:3). Experimental results showed that the Langmuir adsorption models were suitable for describing the short-term biosorption of by all algal species. The best ratio of bead: wastewater (v/v) for removal heavy metal in textile wastewater was 1:3. The maximum Cu removed from the waste was 89% while Cr was removed with 90% by using <em>Chlorella</em> sp. The algae <em>Spirulina</em> showed a higher removal capacity of 90%. The maximum absorption capacity of Cu was achieved at 16.2 and 13.6 mg/g by using <em>Spirulina</em> and <em>Chlorella</em>, respectively, while the maximum sorption capacity for Cr was achieved at 1.95 and 1.45 mg/g for algae <em>Spirulina</em> and <em>Chlorella</em>, respectively.