Development of a microbe-zeolite carrier for the effective elimination of heavy metals from seawater

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of zeolite-supported sulfatereducing bacteria (SRB) in enhancing the removal of Cu 2+, Ni 2+, and Cr 6+ in contaminated seawater. Our results show that SRB-immobilized zeolite carriers can enhance the removal of heavy metals. In addition, heavy metals were generally better removed at conditions of 37°C. Cu 2+, Ni 2+, and Cr 6+ were effectively removed by 98.2%, 90.1%, and 99.8% at 100 parts per million concentration of the heavy metals, respectively. These results indicate that SRB-zeolite carriers hold great potential for use in the removal of cationic heavy metal species from marine environment.