Optimization of chromium(VI) removal by indigenous microalga (Chlamydomonas sp.) based biosorbent using response surface methodology.

Phycoremediation of heavy metals has garnered considerable recent research-interest. In this study, an indigenous microalga (Chlamydomonas sp.) based biosorbent was employed for biosorption of Cr(VI) dissolved solids (Cr(VI)-DS), optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The effects of microalga-concentration, pH, and contact time were studied with 250 mg Cr(VI)-DS L-1 . The biosorption of Cr(VI)-DS was higher at acidic pH (94.17 % at pH 4) than at alkaline conditions (68.53 % at pH 10). The interaction of pH and microalga-concentration exerted significant (p<0.05) influence on the biosorption. Under the optimized parameters of 1.5 g microalga L-1 , pH 4, and contact time of 30 min, a predicted biosorption of 91.31 % and biosorption capacity of 152 mg Cr(VI)-DS g-1 biomass were documented. FTIR analysis attested the electronegative surface functional groups of the microalgae biomass, bracketed together with its high biosorption potency. The study evinced the potential of the indigenous microalga for remediation of hexavalent chromium. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.