Heavy Metal Removal Spirullina Platensis

Bioremediation is the use of either naturally-occurring or deliberately-introduced organisms to consume and break down environmental pollutants and clean up a polluted site. Metal bioremediation using Cyanobacteria is an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach to remove heavy metals from contaminated environment. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue- green algae, have a high capacity to absorb, adsorb and accumulate toxic metals from water and soil. Cyanobacteria have been used as an absorbent to remove the heavy metal like Cadmium, Lead and Chromium. Filamentous cyanbacteria, Spirulina has been reported to  to grow readily in harsh environments and absorb various materials from their surroundings including heavy metals, ions, and contaminants. In the present study, S. platensis was cultivated in industrial and municipal wastewater and as a result the concentration of heavy metal Copper and Chromium after the growth period were found reduced.