Experimental Study on Removal of Iron, Manganese and Copper from Water by Microalgae

Microalgae have become popular absorption materials; therefore many studies have been conducted in order to deeply understand the metal absorption characteristics and growth rate of microalgae in water. Hence, the removal of metal elements, such as iron, manganese and copper, by four common cyanobacteria and green algae were investigated in this study. The results showed that all microalgae could grow normally, and Microcystis aeruginosa grew best. Furthermore, during the growth of microalgae, the pH values of the four groups gradually increased to 10 and then maintained. Different microalgae can remove iron, manganese and copper in water to some extent, while, Microcystis aeruginosa showed the best removal effect. The new observation is that with the increase of time, the treatment effect gradually becomes better, and it is the best on the 4th day. However, this study provides a scientific basis for the simultaneous treatment of microalgae culture and heavy metal polluted wastewater.