Studies on Accumulation of Heavy Metals by Chlorella. I. Influence of Deleterious Concentration of Mercury, Cadmium and Copper on the Growth of Chlorella

Abstract

To study the effect of heavy metals on a living body, chlorella was used as the intermediate concentrator, and it was given as food to animals. For this purpose, accumulation of cadmium, mercury, and copper by Chlorella ellipsoidea was studied. Metalic ions of various concentrations (0-25 ppm) as chloride were added to the culture media, and chlorella was cultured by heterotrophic method. Chlorella growth was impeded by 1.0-2.5 ppm of cadmium, 1.0-5.0 ppm of mercury, and 0.5-1.0 ppm of copper. Chlorella died by the addition of morethan 25 ppm of mercury or 5.0 ppm of copper. Cadmium concentration coefficient in chlorella was 166.0 when using cadmium chloride.