Biotechnology of Metal Removal from Industrial Wastewater: Zinc Case Study

The time‐dependent biosorption capacity of microalga Spirulina platensis for zinc removal from wastewater of the machinery company Moldagrotehnica was studied. The maximal sorption of zinc was achieved after 30 min of reaction. Zinc concentration in wastewater was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and in dry biomass using neutron activation analysis. In addition to Zn, Spirulina cells accumulate from wastewater considerable amounts of other heavy metals such as As, Fe, Sb, and W. To study accumulation of zinc by Spirulina biomass three types of experiments were performed. The samples of dry Spirulina biomass after exposure to wastewater were subject to non‐destructive instrumental neutron activation analysis. The obtained data have shown that for large‐scale application biosorption processes are more profitable, due to their low cost and high effectiveness.