Abstract
The presence of heavy metals in water bodies is linked to the increasing number of industries and populations. This has serious consequences for the quality of human health and the environment. In accordance with this issue, water and wastewater treatment technologies including ion exchange, chemical extraction, and hydrolysis should be conducted as a first water purification stage. However, the sequestration of these toxic substances tends to be expensive, especially for large scale treatment methods that require tedious control and have limited efficiency. Therefore, adsorption methods using adsorbents derived from biomass represent a promising alternative due to their great efficiency and abundance. Algal and seaweed biomass has appeared as a sustainable solution for environmentally friendly adsorbent production. This review further discusses recent developments in the use of algal and seaweed biomass as potential sorbent for heavy metal bioremediation. In addition, relevant aspects like metal toxicity, adsorption mechanism, and parameters affecting the completion of adsorption process are also highlighted. Overall, the critical conclusion drawn is that algae and seaweed biomass can be used to sustainably eliminate heavy metals from wastewater.
Highlights
Despite the improvement of the economy and the fulfilment of human needs, industrial development has caused worrying concerns about the availability of clean water due to wastewater disposal in the environment [1,2]
Some articles have already discussed heavy metal removal by adsorbents derived from low-cost materials, the literature shows that reviews of the current trends in the development of adsorbents made of algae and seaweed for water pollution control regarding metal removal are still rare
The importance of this study relates to some points such as the comprehensive critical review regarding the utilization of various types of algae and seaweed as heavy metal adsorbents, and a comparative analysis of their performance along with other substantial relevant aspects such as the toxicity and sources of heavy metals, adsorption mechanisma and factors affecting the adsorption process
Summary
Despite the improvement of the economy and the fulfilment of human needs, industrial development has caused worrying concerns about the availability of clean water due to wastewater disposal in the environment [1,2]. Some of the most threatening constituents in industrial wastewater are heavy metals due to their high toxicity and low degradability in Nature, resulting in serious health consequences to humans and other living organisms. The use of biomass for metals removal offers various benefits such as high metal uptake, good reusability, cost-effectiveness, wide availability in Nature, and the possibility of their usage in both continuous and batch modes [12,13]. Algae and seaweed biomass-based adsorbents undergo metal ion transport mediated by energy dispersed through the natural cell membranes enabling their efficient removal [14]. Some articles have already discussed heavy metal removal by adsorbents derived from low-cost materials, the literature shows that reviews of the current trends in the development of adsorbents made of algae and seaweed for water pollution control regarding metal removal are still rare. The importance of this study relates to some points such as the comprehensive critical review regarding the utilization of various types of algae and seaweed as heavy metal adsorbents, and a comparative analysis of their performance along with other substantial relevant aspects such as the toxicity and sources of heavy metals, adsorption mechanisma and factors affecting the adsorption process
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