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. 2023 Jan 8;20(2):1106.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021106.

Spirulina platensis Immobilized Alginate Beads for Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Oyunbileg Purev  1 , Chulhyun Park  1 , Hyunsoo Kim  1 , Eunji Myung  2 , Nagchoul Choi  3 , Kanghee Cho  3
Affiliations

Spirulina platensis Immobilized Alginate Beads for Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Oyunbileg Purev et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Microalgae contain a diversity of functional groups that can be used as environmental adsorbents. Spirulina platensis is a blue-green microalga that comprises protein-N, which is advantageous for use in nitrogen-containing biomass as adsorbents. This study aimed to enhance the adsorption properties of alginate hydrogels by employing Spirulina platensis. Spirulina platensis was immobilized on sodium alginate (S.P@Ca-SA) via crosslinking. The results of field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses of the N-containing functional groups indicated that Spirulina platensis was successfully immobilized on the alginate matrix. We evaluated the effects of pH, concentration, and contact time on Pb(II) adsorption by S.P@Ca-SA. The results demonstrated that S.P@Ca-SA could effectively eliminate Pb(II) at pH 5, reaching equilibrium within 6 h, and the maximum Pb(II) sorption capacity of S.P@Ca-SA was 87.9 mg/g. Our results indicated that S.P@Ca-SA fits well with the pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models. Compared with Spirulina platensis and blank alginate beads, S.P@Ca-SA exhibited an enhanced Pb(II) adsorption efficiency. The correlation implies that the amino groups act as adsorption sites facilitating the elimination of Pb(II).

Keywords: N-containing functional groups; Pb(Ⅱ) removal; Spirulina platensis; alginate; immobilization.

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Conflict of interest statement

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Characteristics of Spirulina platensis: (a) EDS pattern (inset = chemical composition), (b) TGA, (c) FTIR spectrum, and (d) XPS survey spectra.
Figure 2
Figure 2
High resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra for the surface of Spirulina platensis: (a) C 1 s (b) N 1 s and (c) O 1 s.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Effect of contact time on adsorption capacity of Pb(Ⅱ), Cu(Ⅱ), Zn(Ⅱ), and Cd(Ⅱ) ions. (b) Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of Spirulina platensis before (a) and after adsorption (b–e) (Note: Spirulina platensis after adsorption using Pb(b), Cd(c), Cu(d), and Zn(e), initial concentration of 100 mg/L, respectively). (c) Zeta potential as a function of pH for Spirulina platensis and S.P@Ca-SA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEM-EDS images of Ca-SA (a) and S.P@Ca-SA (c) and digital images of Ca-SA (b) and S.P@Ca-SA (d).
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) FTIR of Ca-SA and S.P@Ca-SA. (b) XPS spectra of S.P@Ca-SA before and after adsorption.
Figure 6
Figure 6
XPS spectrum of (a) Pb 4f, (b) C 1s, (c) N 1s and (d) O 1s of S.P@Ca-SA before and after reaction.
Figure 6
Figure 6
XPS spectrum of (a) Pb 4f, (b) C 1s, (c) N 1s and (d) O 1s of S.P@Ca-SA before and after reaction.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Adsorption of Pb(II) on S.P@Ca-SA as affected by aqueous pH.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) Adsorption isotherm of Pb(Ⅱ) onto the S.P@Ca-SA, and (b) Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption kinetics fitted by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models onto the S.P@Ca-SA.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Regeneration studies of S.P@Ca-SA for Pb(II) over five cycles.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Removal capacity of Ca-SA and S.P@Ca-SA for Pb(Ⅱ), Cu(Ⅱ), Zn(Ⅱ), and Cd(Ⅱ) ions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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