Résumé
Adsorption of heavy metals by biomass can be used process for the removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. A descriptive and quantitative study are carried out for the ability of the dead biomass algae Spirogyra spp. To adsorb selected heavy metal ions that have divalent ionization state [Cd +2, Cu +2, Co +2, Fe +2, Hg +2, Ni +2, Pb +2, and Zn +2] as an alternative tool to remove these pollutants from water. The concentrations of the heavy metals in water were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique. Different concentrations of ions were used to plot the isotherms of the adsorption processes, while the weight of algae was fixed. The applicability of Langmuir or Freundlich equation were tested and found to be dependent on the type of ions. The results showed different adsorptive behavior and different capacities of the adsorption of the ions on the surface of the dead biomass algae. These findings were discussed and explained depending on the ions characterization such as [electronegativity, ionic radius, and the second ionization potential]. This study is showed the applicability of algae to remove effectively the heavy metals from water