Analytical applications of living organisms for preconcentration of trace metals and their speciation

Living organisms, naturally occurring in human environment, gained in the last decade, increasing interest in analytical chemistry. This review presents the application of bacteria, yeast, algae, and fungi for the preconcentration of heavy metals from environmental samples. The specific bonding sites on cell walls are responsible for the selective binding of different species of studied metals that permit the use of them as sorbents for speciation analysis purposes.