Bioremediation of manganese by microalgae

• Main Author: Nurshazwani Khaswan
• Other Authors: Chong Tzyy Haur
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/74530
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Heavy metal is harmful for the environment and health of the people. Therefore, a lot of importance is placed on the removal of metal in drinking water before they are distributed to the masses. Heavy metal is present in almost all types of water, but particularly in industrial wastewater. Various research papers have identified the potential of algae in up taking heavy metals to treat the wastewater or metal contaminated water. Algae generally displays excellent tolerance to heavy metals and are thus not largely affected in terms of its role and functions. It is indeed phenomenal that algae are able to uptake heavy metals and at the same time able to convert toxic metal ions to non-toxic ones. In this study, the effect toxic heavy metals and its concentration have on biosorption, bioaccumulation, bacteria morphology and filtration are looked into. By understanding and considering these parameters, low-cost microalgae cultivation can be developed to enhance bioremediation effectiveness of existing machines or systems. It was observed that the presence of Mn(II) affected the algal cells in different aspects such as its growth, its cell morphology and also its function. The change in the cell morphology was able to justify for the effect the Mn(II) had on filtration experiments. The results from the filtration experiment gave a deeper insight about the optimum condition for better fouling control and management for real life applications. Apart from that, it was also concluded that bound extracellular polymeric substances – particularly humic substances - was the major cause of fouling.