Aim

Various industrial and municipal wastes are the major sources of heavy metal contamination in water causing significant environmental issues. Bioremediation is an effective and affordable solution for the removal of metals and metal pollutants from industrial wastewater. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of live and dead Spirogyra sp. for sorption of metals like of Cu2+ and Ni2+.

Methods and Results

The live Spirogyra sp. was used for the uptake of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from their aqueous solutions. The equilibrium data were fitted using a Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm model; the maximum uptakes for Cu2+ and Ni2+ were 29 and 521 mg g−1, respectively. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and infrared (IR) spectroscopic studies of Spirogyra sp. and treated Spirogyra sp. with specific metal ions were used to assess the bonding site and extent of sorption mechanism.

Conclusion

The initial study showed that this biomass takes up a significant amount of metal ions. Compared to the Langmuir model, the Freundlich model showed better sorption process. The pseudo-second-order rate model represented an enhanced kinetics of metal ion adsorption using live Spirogyra sp.

Significance and Impact of the Study

As bioaccumulation technology is environmental friendly and potentially cost-effective, live Spirogyra sp. is expected to be a good candidate for managing industrial wastewater.