Potentiality of a Seaweed Biosorbent for Heavy Metals Removal

Abstract

The biosorption is considered an alternative technology for removal of heavy metals from wastewater and the use of seaweeds as adsorbents encourages scientific interest, considering the variety, abundance and availability of different species growing or arriving at the coastal shoreline. The aim of the research was to characterize a seaweed biosorbent prepared from marine algae Sargassum, to know their potentialities for heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions. A characterization physico-chemical, morphological and structural of a seaweed bioadsorbent was performed using microanalysis and surface anaytical advanced techiques. Was confirmed of major functional groups present in the alginic acid, alginates, polysaccharides and proteins containing this type of seaweed biomass, biopolymers that facilitate the biosorption mechanisms and consequently they can contribute a high capacity of biosorption of heavy metals of this biosorbente.