Biosorption of Heavy Metals from the Metallurgical Industry Wastewater by Macroalgae

The article presents the results obtained from the analyses of wastewater samples with a high heavy metal content, resulted from the metallurgical industry, on which the algal mass biosorption technique has been applied in order to demonstrate its suitability for cleaning wastewater containing heavy metals. Biosorption is a process of accumulation of heavy metals from aqueous solutions through a metabolic controlled system or through different physicochemical processes. This wastewater treatment technique is an alternative perspective method and, compared to conventional heavy metal removal techniques, is an easy and cost-effective process. Wastewater samples were analyzed by spectrophotometric method, for the heavy metals Zn2+, Cu2+, Cr3+& Cr6+, Fe2+& Fe3+ initial concentrations and after application of the seaweed biosorption method. For this experiment five different algae species from Black Sea, Romania, were used: Ulva rigida, Punctaria latifolia, Pyropia leucosticta, Callithamnion corymbosum and Cladophora vagabunda. The experimental data processing was carried out in the laboratory of the INPOLDE research center, ReForm-UDJG multidisciplinary platform, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, Romania.