Removal of Heavy Metals from Contaminated Water Using Local Algal Species

الملخص

Heavy metal contamination of water resources has become a major environmental challenge due to the persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation of these pollutants in aquatic ecosystems and living organisms. The present study evaluated the biosorption potential of two locally algal species, Oedogonium (filamentous green alga) and Chlorella (unicellular microalga), for the removal of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu) from contaminated water. Batch biosorption experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of pH, contact time, and algal biomass concentration on metal removal efficiency. Residual metal concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), and removal efficiencies were calculated under different experimental conditions.
The results showed that both species were capable of removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions, but Oedogonium had a consistently higher biosorption capacity than Chlorella. The optimal pH and algal biomass concentration with maximum removal efficiencies were recorded at pH 7 and 100 mg/L, respectively. The maximum removal efficiencies were 91.03% for Cd, 74.63% for Pb, and 53.50% for Cu using Oedogonium, compared with 84.33%, 73.13%, and 49.79%, respectively, using Chlorella. As stated in the even better performance of Oedogonium can be explained by its morphology filamentous, therefore larger surface area and more actives sites for binding with maximum metal adsorption. These findings indicate that locally isolated algal biomass represents an environmentally friendly, sustainable, and cost-effective biosorbent for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated water. The study highlights the potential application of Oedogonium, in particular, as an efficient biological material for wastewater treatment.