Removal of cadmium from industrial wastewater using blue-green and green microalgae (Aphanocapsa zanardinii and Chlorella vulgaris)

Industrial activities produce large amounts of contaminated wastewater mainly with heavy metals. Due to its high potential for bioaccumulation for heavy metals, the use of microalgae biomass in their removal is an interesting technology. Indeed, through a variety of biological processes such as bio-sorption and bioaccumulation, microalgae have developed a big number of potential mechanisms to cope with heavy metal toxicity. The present study aims to study the heavy metal removal from industrial wastewater using two selected species Chlorella vulgaris and Aphanocapsa zanardinii isolated from the bay of Skikda. Samples were grown in a sterile medium Bold Basal until a sufficient biomass volume is obtained, then moved to new flasks that contain sterile wastewater. The bioremoval of cadmium using separately C. vulgaris and A. zanardinii was carried out by selecting three concentrations of cadmium (50, 100, and 250 mg center dot L-1). The results showed that both microalgae have a significant ability to eliminate cadmium Cd2+ as a single source of contamination with significant removal rates using separately A. zanardinii (75.13%), and C. vulgaris (86.07%) as bioremediation tools.