982110 - Biosorption of Pb(ii) from Scrap Metal Effluent Using Filamentous Algae oedogonium Sp. and cladophora Sp. – Comparing Treatment Efficiency in Singular vs. Binary Algal Systems (Student Poster 9)

Industrial pollution of heavy metals into the environment is a serious concern, as it has long-lasting implications and detriment on the health of all living organisms. Metal recycling facilities, or scrap metal yards, serve an important role in the recycling process by recovering valuable metals from consumer waste which benefits the environment by taking part in a circular economy. Still, the metal recycling process can introduce heavy metals into the environment as particulate matter which can then enter water bodies and cause ecological harm. Chemical precipitation is traditionally used to remove metals from effluent but is costly, has varying degrees of efficiency, and can pollute the system more. Algae has emerged as a promising remediation agent that is eco-friendly and sustainable. Algae efficiently removes heavy metals from wastewater via adsorption, where the metal ions become attached to the algae cell surface. The majority of research investigating this subject utilize single-celled microalgae and measure metal sorption of one species alone. Single algae systems rarely exist in nature, so we chose to investigate the Pb(II) sorption equilibrium rates of two freshwater filamentous algae, Oedogonium sp. and Cladophora sp. which were chosen because they are found ubiquitously in nature and filamentous algae is more easily harvested from retention ponds than microalgae, thus making them more practical in real-world applications. Varying proportions of each alga (0:100, 25:75, and 50:50) were tested in varying Pb(II) concentrations, temperatures, and pH. These results were fitted into modified isotherm and kinetic models. A final series of tests were conducted in scrap metal effluent samples collected in the field in order to determine the degree to which the confounding factors present in real effluent would impact our reported Pb(II) sorption rates.