Testing of two different strains of green microalgae for Cu and Ni removal from aqueous media

Abstract The concentration of metal ions in aqueous media is a major environmental problem due to their persistence and non-biodegradability that poses hazards to the ecosystem and human health. In this study, the effect of Cu and Ni on the growth of two green microalgal strains, Chlorella vulgaris and Desmodesmus sp., was evaluated along with the removal capacity from single metal solutions (12 days exposure; metal concentration range: 1.9–11.9 mg L − 1 ). Microalgal growth showed to decrease at increasing metal concentrations, but promising metal removal efficiencies were recorded: up to 43% and 39% for Cu by Desmodesmus sp. and C. vulgaris , respectively, with a sorption capacity of 33.4 mg gDW − 1 for Desmodesmus sp. As for Ni, at the concentration of 5.7 mg L − 1 , the removal efficiency reached 32% for C. vulgaris and 39% for Desmodesmus sp. In addition, Desmodesmus sp. growth and metal removal were evaluated employing bimetallic solutions. In these tests, the removal efficiency for Cu was higher than that of Ni for all the mix solutions tested with a maximum of 95%, while Ni-removal reached 90% only for the lowest concentrations tested. Results revealed that the biosorption of both metals reached maximum removal levels within the fourth day of incubation (with metal uptakes of 67 mgCu gDW − 1 and 37 mgNi gDW − 1 ). Intracellular bioaccumulation of metals in Desmodesmus sp. was evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy after DAPI staining of cells exposed or not to Cu during their growth. Imaging suggested that Cu is sequestered in polyphosphate bodies within the cells, as observable also in phosphorus deprived cultures. Our results indicate the potential of employing green microalgae for bioremediation of metal-polluted waters, due to their ability to grow in the presence of high metal concentrations and to remove them efficiently.