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Cadmium Removal by Two Strains of Desmodesmus pleiomorphus Cells

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Abstract

The capacity of microalgae to accumulate heavy metals has been widely investigated for its potential applications in wastewater (bio)treatment. In this study, the ability of Desmodesmus pleiomorphus (strain L), a wild strain isolated from a polluted environment, to remove Cd from aqueous solutions was studied, by exposing its biomass to several Cd concentrations. Removal from solution reached a maximum of 61.2 mg Cd g−1 biomass by 1 day, at the highest initial supernatant concentration used (i.e., 5.0 mg Cd L−1), with most metal being adsorbed onto the cell surface. Metal removal by D. pleiomorphus (strain ACOI 561), a commercially available ecotype, was also assessed for comparative purposes; a removal of 76.4 mg Cd g−1 biomass was attained by 1 day for the same initial metal concentration. Assays for metal removal using thermally inactivated cells were also performed; the maximum removal extent observed was 47.1 mg Cd g−1 biomass, at the initial concentration of 5 mg Cd L−1. In experiments conducted at various pH values, the highest removal was achieved at pH 4.0. Both microalga strains proved their feasibility as biotechnological tools to remove Cd from aqueous solution.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Câmara Municipal de Estarreja (Portugal), for allowing full access to the contaminated site, and to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) and Fundo Social Europeu (III Quadro Comunitário de Apoio, EC), for partial financial support of this work via a PhD fellowship granted to author C. M. Monteiro (ref. SFRH/BD/9332/2002), under the supervision of author F. X. Malcata.

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  1. CBQF/Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

    Cristina M. Monteiro, Paula M. L. Castro & F. Xavier Malcata

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  1. Cristina M. Monteiro
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  2. Paula M. L. Castro
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  3. F. Xavier Malcata
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Correspondence to F. Xavier Malcata.

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Monteiro, C.M., Castro, P.M.L. & Malcata, F.X. Cadmium Removal by Two Strains of Desmodesmus pleiomorphus Cells. Water Air Soil Pollut 208, 17–27 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0146-1

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