Biosorption of Heavy metals by Scenedesmus SP. Isolated from the temporary waters of Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia.

Abstract

Contamination of soil and water by heavy metals threatens the well-being of humans and the natural environment. The need for a cost-effective and efficient method for their removal has led researchers to develop interest in microorganisms that show resistance to these toxic metals. In this work, we used inductive coupled plasma mass spectroscopy to detect the presence of heavy metals Aluminum (Al), lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni) and Copper (Cu) in the wild pond Sungai Buaya, in Johor Malaysia. This research shows the biosorption ability of living cells of micro algae Scenedesmus sp. as a function of metal concentration for these metals. It was found that 78% of Al, 74% of Pb, 24% of Cu and 16% of Ni was taken up by the microalgae. This shows that Scenedesmus sp. has potential for use in further research works particularly in bioremediation of contaminated water and also biosynthesis of nanoparticles.