Premium
Removal of zinc and manganese from contaminated water with cyanobacteria mats
Author(s) -
Bender J.,
Gould J. P.,
Vatcharapijarn Y.,
Young J. S.,
Phillips P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/wer.66.5.3
Subject(s) - zinc , manganese , cyanobacteria , environmental chemistry , chemistry , algae , water treatment , metal , contamination , environmental engineering , botany , environmental science , ecology , geology , biology , bacteria , paleontology , organic chemistry
Cyanobacteria mats, developed for metal tolerance, were allowed to grow in columns packed with glass wool. Resulting columns contained complex, self‐organized ecosystems dominated by cyanobacteria (blue‐green algae). This immobilized cell system was assessed for its potential in removing zinc and manganese (mixed solution) from contaminated water. Twelve applications (days 2 to 13 of the experiment) of 0.3‐L/day volumes containing 14 mg/L of each metal resulted in average removals of 96% zinc and 85% manganese with a 3‐hour retention time. Final zinc and manganese concentrations in the mat (mg/g) were 10.13 and 10.30, respectively. Unique ecosystem conditions suggest that metal removal likely involved heterogenous chemical zones that resulted in the simultaneous deposition of zinc and manganese as stable, nontoxic precipitates.