Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Heavy Metal Removal from Multicomponent System by the Cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum: Kinetics and Interaction Study

  • Published:
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, Nostoc muscorum, a native cyanobacterial species isolated from a coal mining site, was employed to remove Cu(II), Zn(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution containing these metals in the mixture. In this multicomponent study, carried out as per the statistically valid Plackett-Burman design of experiments, the results revealed a maximum removal of both Pb(II) (96.3 %) and Cu(II) (96.42 %) followed by Cd(II) (80.04 %) and Zn(II) (71.3 %) at the end of the 60-h culture period. Further, the removal of these metals was attributed to both passive biosorption and accumulation by the actively growing N. muscorum biomass. Besides, the specific removal rate of these metals by N. muscorum was negatively correlated to its specific growth rate. For a better understanding of the effect of these metals on each other’s removal by the cyanobacteria, the results were statistically analyzed in the form of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student’s t test. ANOVA of the metal bioremoval revealed that the main (individual) effect due to the metals was highly significant (P value <0.05) on each other’s removal. Student’s t test results revealed that both Zn(II) and Pb(II) strongly inhibited both Cu(II) removal (P value <0.01) and Cd(II) removal (P value <0.02). All these results not only demonstrated a very good potential of the cyanobacteria in the bioremoval of these metals but also the effect of individual metals on each other’s removal in the multicomponent system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Smejkalova, M., Mikanova, O., & Boruvka, L. (2003). Effects of heavy metal concentrations on biological activity of soil microorganisms. Plant, Soil and Environment, 49(7), 321–326.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Ahmet, S., & Mustafa, T. (2008). Biosorption of cadmium (II) from aqueous solution by red algae (Ceramium virgatum): equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 157, 448–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Won, S. W., Kotte, P., Wei, W., Areum Lim, A., & Yun, Y. S. (2014). Biosorbents for recovery of precious metals. Bioresource Technology, 160, 203–212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Babu, B. V., & Gupta, S. (2008). Adsorption of Cr (VI) using activated neem leaves as an adsorbent: kinetic studies. Adsorption, 14, 85–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kotrba, P., Doleckova, L., Lorenzo, V., & Ruml, T. (1999). Enhanced bioaccumulation of heavy metal ions by bacterial cells due to surface display of short metal binding peptides. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 65(3), 1092–1098.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Gikas, P. (2008). Single and combined effects of nickel (Ni (II)) and cobalt (Co (II) ions on activated sludge and on other aerobic microorganisms: a review. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 159, 187–203.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Acikel, U., & Alp, T. (2009). A study on the inhibition kinetics of bioaccumulation of Cu (II) and Ni (II) ions using Rhizopus delemar. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 168(2–3), 1449–1458.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Prasanna, R., Jaiswal, P., & Kaushik, B. D. (2008). Cyanobacteria as potential options for environmental sustainability—promises and challenges. Indian Journal of Microbiology, 48, 89–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Cain, A., Vannela, R., & Woo, L. K. (2008). Cyanobacteria as a biosorbent for mercuric ion. Bioresource Technology, 99, 6578–6586.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bender, J., & Phillips, P. (2004). Microbial mats for multiple applications in aquaculture and bioremediation. Bioresource Technology, 94, 229–238.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Roeselers, G., Loosdrecht, M. C. M., & Muyzer, G. (2008). Phototrophic biofilms and their potential applications. Journal of Applied Phycology, 20, 227–235.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Roy, D., Greenlaw, P. N., & Shane, B. S. (1993). Adsorption of heavy metals by green algae and ground rice hulls. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A: Environmental Science and Engineering & Toxic and Hazardous Substance Control, 28, 37–50.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Saeed, A., Iqbal, M., & Waheed, A. (2005). Removal and recovery of lead (II) from single and multimetal (Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn) solutions by crop milling waste (black gram husk). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 117(B), 65–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Sulaymon, A.H., Ebrahim, S.H., and M-Ridha, M.J. (2003) Competitive biosorption of Pb (II), Cr (III), and Cd (II) from synthetic wastewater onto heterogeneous anaerobic biomass in single, binary and ternary batch systems. Desalin. Water. Treat. 1–10 doi: 10.1080/19443994.2013.813008.

  15. Hazarika, J., Pakshirajan, K., Sinharoy, A., and Syiem, M.B. Bioremoval of Cu (II), Zn (II), Pb (II) and Cd (II) by Nostoc muscorum isolated from a coal mining site. J. Appl. Phycol. DOI: 10.1007/s10811-014-0475-3.

  16. Flouty, R., & Estephane, G. (2012). Bioaccumulation and biosorption of copper and lead by a unicellular algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in single and binary metal systems: a comparative study. Journal of Environmental Management, 111, 106–114.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Haider, A. M., & Pakshirajan, K. (2007). Screening and optimization of media constituents for enhancing lipolytic activity by a soil microorganism using statistically designed experiments. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 141, 377–390.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Ho, Y. S., & McKay, G. (1998). Sorption of dye from aqueous solution by peat. Chemical Engineering Journal, 70(2), 115–124.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Mehta, S. K., & Gaur, J. P. (2005). Use of algae for removing heavy metal ions from wastewater: progress and prospects. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 25, 113–152.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Puranik, P. R., & Paknikar, K. M. (1999). Influence of co-cations on biosorption of lead and zinc—a comparative evaluation in binary and multimetal systems. Bioresource Technology, 70, 269–276.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Fraile, A., Penche, S., Gonza’lez, F., Bla’zquez, M. L., Mun˜oz, J. A., & Ballester, A. (2005). Biosorption of copper, zinc, cadmium and nickel by Chlorella vulgaris. Chemistry and Ecology, 21, 61–75.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Sheng, P. X., Ting, Y. P., & Chen, J. P. (2007). Biosorption of heavy metal ions (Pb, Cu, and Cd) from aqueous solutions by the marine alga Sargassum sp. in single- and multiple-metal systems. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 46, 2438–2444.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Gupta, V. K., & Rastogi, A. (2008). Biosorption of lead (II) from aqueous solutions by non-living algal biomass Oedogonium sp. and Nostoc sp.—a comparative study. Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces, 64, 170–178.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Chen, S. B., Ma, Y. B., Chen, L., & Xian, K. (2010). Adsorption of aqueous Cd2+, Pb2+, Cu2+ ions by nano-hydroxyapatite: single- and multi-metal competitive adsorption study. Geochemical Journal, 44, 233–239.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Tsezos, M., & Remoundaki, E. (1997). Recent advances in the mechanistic understanding of metals mobility and interaction with microbial biomass. Research in Microbiology, 148, 515–517.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Plazinski, W., Rudzinski, W., & Plazinska, A. (2009). Theoretical models of sorption kinetics including a surface reaction mechanism: a review. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 152, 2–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India (BT/216/NE/TBP/2011) for providing the necessary financial support for this research work. They also thank Mr. M. Gopi Kiran, Centre for the Environment, IIT Guwahati, India, for his help in heavy metal analyses of the samples.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India

    Arindam Sinha Roy, Jayeeta Hazarika, N. Arul Manikandan & Kannan Pakshirajan

  2. Department of Biochemistry, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, 793022, Meghalaya, India

    Mayashree B. Syiem

Authors
  1. Arindam Sinha Roy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jayeeta Hazarika
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. Arul Manikandan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kannan Pakshirajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mayashree B. Syiem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kannan Pakshirajan.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOC 38 kb)

ESM 2

(DOC 33 kb)

ESM 3

(DOC 441 kb)

ESM 4

(DOC 203 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Roy, A.S., Hazarika, J., Manikandan, N.A. et al. Heavy Metal Removal from Multicomponent System by the Cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum: Kinetics and Interaction Study. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 175, 3863–3874 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-015-1553-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-015-1553-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation