ADSORPTION OF HEAVY METALS TO MICROBIAL BIOMASS: Use of Biosorption for Removal of Metals from Solutions

摘要

The finding that several microorganisms are able to bind and accumulate heavy metals suggested the possibility to use them for removal of metals from solutions by the process called biosorption. Although biosorption of heavy metals was studied also with plants (mosses, leaves of trees) and marine macroalgae, microorganisms seem to be the most promising for practical use. The use of different microorganisms for biosorption was reviewed several times. Here we want to concentrate on the mode of metal binding, the possibilities to increase the binding capacity of microbial biomass, and the usefulness of microbes for biosorption in large-scale industrial processes.