Effects of cellular metabolism and viability on metal ion accumulation by cultured biomass from a bloom of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa

Abstract

The sorption of nickel, cadmium, and copper by cultured biomass from a naturally occurring bloom of Microcystis aeruginosa was demonstrated in two systems: cells suspended in culture medium and cells immobilized in alginate. Incubation in the absence of light, in the presence of metabolic inhibitors, and at 4°C did not substantially decrease the copper accumulation by cells in culture medium. Heat-killed, formaldehydetreated, and air-dried biomass samples sorbed nearly as much (or in some cases slightly more) copper as did viable samples.