Abstract
Soil and water pollution is a major problem that has a negative impact on ecosystems and human health in particular. In the bioremediation processes, the application of photosynthetic microorganisms, including cyanobacteria, is a direction of action addressed with increasing frequency in the context of further development and improvement of environmentally friendly techniques needed for detoxification of soils and waters polluted with low concentrations of toxic elements, since they pose a challenge for traditional treatment methods. In the present study, the removal of copper and other metal ions from multielement systems by three generations of Nostoc linckia is discussed. Changes in the biochemical composition of the nostoc biomass, which accumulates metal ions, were monitored. Neutron activation analysis was applied to assess Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn accumulation by biomass, as well as to determine the biochemical composition of biomass after specific biochemical methods were used. The capacity of the accumulation of copper and other metal ions from multi-elemental systems by cyanobacteria Nostoc linckia was high and increased over two cycles of biomass growth in the systems Cu-Fe-Ni and Cu-Fe-Zn and over three cycles in Cu-Fe and Cu-Fe-Ni-Zn systems. It constituted 1720–10,600 µg metal/g depending on the system and cycle of cultivation. The accumulation of Fe, Ni, and Zn also increased over the generations of nostoc. The process of metal accumulation was demonstrated by a significant change in the biomass biochemical composition. Cyanobacteria Nostoc linckia possess a pronounced capacity of copper and other metal ion accumulation from multimetal systems and showed an increased resistance in environments polluted with heavy metals.
Highlights
Soil and water pollution with heavy metals is a major problem for the health of natural and man-made ecosystems
Cyanobacteria Nostoc linckia possess a pronounced capacity of copper and other metal ion accumulation from multimetal systems and showed an increased resistance in environments polluted with heavy metals
Several heavy metals in certain quantities are essential for the biological activity of various living organisms, being a part of the key enzymes involved in the realization of vital biochemical reactions
Summary
Soil and water pollution with heavy metals is a major problem for the health of natural and man-made ecosystems. Several heavy metals in certain quantities are essential for the biological activity of various living organisms, being a part of the key enzymes involved in the realization of vital biochemical reactions. In quantities that exceed tolerance limits, metals become extremely toxic, affecting almost all vital processes in cells. Copper is one of the elements with a dual effect on living organisms. Copper is strictly needed for the majority of living organisms. Its deficiency can provoke anemia caused by disorders of hematopoietic processes, dysfunction of the ophthalmic nerve, neuropathy and ataxia—effects primarily resulting from a decrease of the activity of copper-dependent enzymes [1,2]
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