Filamentous cyanobacteria can efficiently remove cadmium present in aqueous solution at low concentration

Abstract

Twenty six strains of microalgae from Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), Thailand, six strains from National Institute for Environment Studies (NIES), Japan, and five additionally collected micro algae in Thailand were tested for Cd removal at low concentration of 8.9 μM. The results showed that Scytonema schmidlei, Anabaena cylindrica, Anabaena torulosa and Aulosira fertilissima have high Cd removal efficiency at 98%, 96%, 96% and 96%, respectively. Mastigocladus sp. Stigonema sp., Nostoc spongiaeforme and Nostoc sp. TISTR 8197, have high Cd removal efficiency at 94%, 94%, 91%, 91% respectively. At very low concentration of 0.89 μM Cd, Sytonema schmidlei, Anabaena siamensis and Mastigocladus sp. also have high Cd removal efficiency at 94%, 92% and 88%, respectively.