Removal of cypermethrin with seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis

Abstract

The removal of cypermethrin with a red macroalga, Gracilaria lemaneiformis, was studied under laboratory conditions. Results showed that the residue contents with G. lemaneiformis were significantly lower than those corresponding groups without the algal thalli after 96 h treatment. The removal rates decreased with increasing concentrations, which were about 50% without G. lemaneiformis after 96 h exposure, and increased to 89%, 73%, and 66% in flasks with G. lemaneiformis at the concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 µg L−1, respectively. The amount of biosorption (absorption and adsorption) by G. lemaneiformis increased with the increasing concentration and exposure time. Adsorption was the main process for the removal by G. lemaneiformis, which accounted for 75%–97% of the total biosorption. However, biosorption only contributed 0.5%–19.3% to the total losses of cypermethrin, which was more efficient under the low concentration. Natural losses contributed the largest portion of losses, which was over 65% in all treatments during the experiment. The unknown pathway of removal, which might be the bio-decomposed by microorganisms attaching the algal thalli, also contributed a lot to the total removal. The results suggested that cultivation of G. lemaneiformis could significantly remove cypermethrin, especially at low concentrations, and large-scale cultivation of G. lemaneiformis has considerable potential of biorestoration of eutrophic and cypermethrin-polluted coastal sea areas.