UPTAKE OF METAL-IONS BY NONLIVING BIOMASS DERIVED FROM MARINE ORGANISMS - EFFECT OF PH AND CHEMICAL TREATMENTS

The nature of metal binding by four strains of nonliving marine biomass, the green algae Cladophora prolitera and Ulva lactuca, the brown alga Padina pavonica, and the sea plant Zostera marina were studied. Specifically, the effect of pH on the degree of binding of Cu(ll), Pb(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Cr(III), Ni(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Al(III), Au(III), Ag(I), and TI(I) was investigated. For most metals studied binding was very strongly pH dependent, with maximum binding observed at pH 5-6; only Au(III) showed a negative effect of pH on binding. A pH dependence on the binding of several metals was observed for U. lactuca at both 10 and 100-ppm levels. Very pronounced interspecies differences in metal Acidic or basic binding capacity and specificity were observed. treatments generally increased the degree of metal binding. Multitreatment with both acid and base significantly increased subsequent Pb(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) binding by U. lactuca. Triton X-100 detergent treatment led to a slight increase in binding of Pb(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II) by U. lactuca.