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Updated: Mar 31, 2026

Quantification of Heavy Metals and Other Inorganic Contaminants on the Productivity of Microalgae
Published on: July 10, 2015
Heavy metal uptake capacity of fresh water algae (Oedogonium westti) from aqueous solution: A mesocosm research
Isha Shamshad1,2,3, Sardar Khan1,2,4, Muhammad Waqas1,2
1a Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xiamen , China.
Abstract:
The green macroalgae present in freshwater ecosystems have attracted a great attention of the world scientists for removal of heavy metals from wastewater. In this mesocosm study, the uptake rates of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) by Oedogonium westi (O. westti) were measured. The equilibrium adsorption capabilities of O. westti were different for Cd, Ni, Cr, and Pb (0.974, 0.418, 0.620, and 0.261 mgg(-1), respectively) at 18 °C and pH 5.0. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies for Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb were observed from 55-95%, 61-93%, 59-89%, and 61-96%, respectively. The highest removal efficiency was observed for Cd and Cr from aqueous solution at acidic pH and low initial metal concentrations. However, the removal efficiencies of Ni and Pb were higher at high pH and high concentrations of metals in aqueous solution. The results summarized that O. westti is a suitable candidate for removal of selected toxic heavy metals from the aqueous solutions.
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