Ideal Conditions for Phytoremediation of Lead and Cadmium from Water by Microalgae Chlorella vulgaris​

Throughout the United States drinking water supplies are contaminated with heavy metals such as lead and cadmium which when consumed are extremely harmful to human health (Mulvihill, 2021). Existing wastewater treatment technologies are costly and environmentally damaging (Mishra et al., 2018). An alternative to these processes is phytoremediation using algae, which is when algae absorbs contaminants from water or converts them into a non-harmful form (Mahmood et al., 2015). Phytoremediation is low cost, environmentally friendly, and requires no special equipment, however more research is needed to optimize the process for use on a larger scale (Mishra et al., 2018). This project proposes research that tests the ability of the green microalgae Chlorella vulgaris to remove lead and cadmium from water under varying initial metal concentrations and pH values. Also, since more than one contaminant is often present in water, it will test if the presence of both lead and cadmium in solution has an impact on absorption which will show any effect of competitive interference between the metals. This research has the potential to contribute to what we know about the ideal conditions for phytoremediation, and for application in using this process to create safe and clean drinking water