Biosorption: An Interplay between Marine Algae and Potentially Toxic Elements—A Review
by
Muhammad Bilal 1, Tahir Rasheed 2, Juan Eduardo Sosa-Hernández 3
, Ali Raza 4, Faran Nabeel 2 and Hafiz M. N. Iqbal 3,*
Muhammad Bilal 1, Tahir Rasheed 2, Juan Eduardo Sosa-Hernández 3, Ali Raza 4, Faran Nabeel 2 and Hafiz M. N. Iqbal 3,*
1
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, The School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
3
Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, N.L., CP 64849, Mexico
4
School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Mar. Drugs 2018, 16(2), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/md16020065
Received: 22 January 2018 / Revised: 9 February 2018 / Accepted: 16 February 2018 / Published: 19 February 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Compounds Used in Biosorption)
In recent decades, environmental pollution has emerged as a core issue, around the globe, rendering it of fundamental concern to eco-toxicologists, environmental biologists, eco-chemists, pathologists, and researchers from other fields. The dissolution of polluting agents is a leading cause of environmental pollution of all key spheres including the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, among others. The widespread occurrence of various pollutants including toxic heavy metals and other emerging hazardous contaminants is a serious concern. With increasing scientific knowledge, socioeconomic awareness, human health problems, and ecological apprehensions, people are more concerned about adverse health outcomes. Against this background, several removal methods have been proposed and implemented with the aim of addressing environmental pollution and sustainable and eco-friendly development. Among them, the biosorption of pollutants using naturally inspired sources, e.g., marine algae, has considerable advantages. In the past few years, marine algae have been extensively studied due to their natural origin, overall cost-effective ratio, and effectiveness against a broader pollutant range; thus, they are considered a potential alternative to the conventional methods used for environmental decontamination. Herein, an effort has been made to highlight the importance of marine algae as naturally inspired biosorbents and their role in biosorption. Biosorption mechanisms and factors affecting biosorption activities are also discussed in this review. The utilization of marine algae as a biosorbent for the removal of numerous potentially toxic elements has also been reviewed.
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Keywords:
biosorption; biosorbent; marine algae; toxic elements; environmental pollution
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MDPI and ACS Style
Bilal, M.; Rasheed, T.; Sosa-Hernández, J.E.; Raza, A.; Nabeel, F.; Iqbal, H.M.N. Biosorption: An Interplay between Marine Algae and Potentially Toxic Elements—A Review. Mar. Drugs 2018, 16, 65.
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