title: Chlorella sorokiniana immobilized on the biomatrix of vegetable sponge of Luffa cylindrica: a new system to remove cadmium from contaminated aqueous medium.
abstract: A new sorption system of microalgal cells immobilized on the biostructural matrix of Luffa cylindrica for sequestering cadmium is reported. Free and immobilized Chlorella sorokiniana removed cadmium from 10 mgl(-1) solution at the efficiency of 92.7% and 97.9% respectively. Maximum cadmium sorption was observed to be 39.2 mgg(-1) at equilibrium (C(eq)) of 112.8 mgl(-1) by immobilized microalgal biomass as compared to 33.5 mgg(-1) at C(eq) of 116.5 mgl(-1) by free biomass from initial concentration of 150 mgl(-1). In continuous liquid flow column, the cadmium sorption capacity of immobilized C. sorokiniana was 192 mgg(-1), which was 73.2% of the total metal passed in 51.5 l. Metal desorption with 0.1 M HCl was 100% and the desorbed immobilized system was reusable with a similar efficiency in the subsequent cycle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Government Islamia College for Women, Cooper Road, Lahore 54550, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Nasreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saeed
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iqbal
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D002104:Cadmium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002708:Chlorella / Q000737:chemistry*; D029776:Luffa; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014873:Water Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium