involved and mechanisms, and functional groups involved in the cell surface.
Besides, suggested that the industrial-scale data’s are required for the real
application.
Keywords Adsorption · Functional groups · Heavy metals · Macroalgae ·
Microalgae · Phycoremediation
1 Introduction
Rapid industrialization and urbanization in the last century have led to ecological
damage and cause problems of living and nonliving things. Among many industrial
pollutants, heavy metal release into the water and the soil creates problems in the
ecosystems. Even at a low concentration of heavy metal (example 0.00001 mg Hg/L)
can cause a major threat to both terrestrial and aquatic environments and there are
coupled several health risks (Jaishankar et al. 2014). Therefore, it is important to
remove heavy metals such as Mercury (Hg), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), Lead
(Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) which are common heavy metals contaminants that present
in wastewater discharge. Among the heavy metals, Pb has become a cosmopolitan
environmental pollutant (Brahmbhatt et al. 2013). The heavy metals can accumulate
in the food chain and food web of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, magnify, and
cause illness (Mann et al. 2011).
Once heavy metals get into the water through various means, the first target
affected is algae. Algae have a long-exposure state with heavy metals stress or
physico-chemical effects in the water bodies, hence the algae may produce a series
of adaptive or tolerance mechanisms to adapt or tolerate the negative effects of toxic
heavy metals (Monteiro et al. 2012). Algae survive in heavy metal contaminated
medium within a certain range of levels by absorption, modification, accumulation,
transfer, and discharge of the heavy metals. Therefore, the algae can reduce the
negative effects of heavy metals, ensuring its sustainable growth for a long time. As
a result, the application of algae for phycoremediation of heavy metal contaminated
water and any environment offers greater advantages over other conventional
methods. For instance, phycoremediation is cost-effective, eco-friendly, efficient
even at low concentrations, oxygen production, carbon dioxide sequestration, use
wastewater (Suresh et al. 2019), removal of air pollutants (Suresh and Benor 2020),
biofuel production, and food production. However, hitherto this technology is not
popular due to ignorance, needs to give much attention and extent. Therefore, in this
review discussed various aspects of heavy metal removal using macro and
microalgae, factors affecting, and its mechanisms involved.
270
A. Ayele et al.
Besides, suggested that the industrial-scale data’s are required for the real
application.
Keywords Adsorption · Functional groups · Heavy metals · Macroalgae ·
Microalgae · Phycoremediation
1 Introduction
Rapid industrialization and urbanization in the last century have led to ecological
damage and cause problems of living and nonliving things. Among many industrial
pollutants, heavy metal release into the water and the soil creates problems in the
ecosystems. Even at a low concentration of heavy metal (example 0.00001 mg Hg/L)
can cause a major threat to both terrestrial and aquatic environments and there are
coupled several health risks (Jaishankar et al. 2014). Therefore, it is important to
remove heavy metals such as Mercury (Hg), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), Lead
(Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) which are common heavy metals contaminants that present
in wastewater discharge. Among the heavy metals, Pb has become a cosmopolitan
environmental pollutant (Brahmbhatt et al. 2013). The heavy metals can accumulate
in the food chain and food web of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, magnify, and
cause illness (Mann et al. 2011).
Once heavy metals get into the water through various means, the first target
affected is algae. Algae have a long-exposure state with heavy metals stress or
physico-chemical effects in the water bodies, hence the algae may produce a series
of adaptive or tolerance mechanisms to adapt or tolerate the negative effects of toxic
heavy metals (Monteiro et al. 2012). Algae survive in heavy metal contaminated
medium within a certain range of levels by absorption, modification, accumulation,
transfer, and discharge of the heavy metals. Therefore, the algae can reduce the
negative effects of heavy metals, ensuring its sustainable growth for a long time. As
a result, the application of algae for phycoremediation of heavy metal contaminated
water and any environment offers greater advantages over other conventional
methods. For instance, phycoremediation is cost-effective, eco-friendly, efficient
even at low concentrations, oxygen production, carbon dioxide sequestration, use
wastewater (Suresh et al. 2019), removal of air pollutants (Suresh and Benor 2020),
biofuel production, and food production. However, hitherto this technology is not
popular due to ignorance, needs to give much attention and extent. Therefore, in this
review discussed various aspects of heavy metal removal using macro and
microalgae, factors affecting, and its mechanisms involved.
270
A. Ayele et al.