REVIEW

Algae Efficacy as a Potent Tool for Heavy Metals Removal: An Overview

Water pollution with heavy metals sharply increased worldwide and became a serious problem a cause to expansion industrial activities worldwide. Pollutants caused deleterious effect on living organisms in ecosystems. Thereby, various physico-chemical and biological methods were employed for overcoming this problem. Algae (micro and macrophyla) among biological systems displayed multiuse applications in food and industry. Of which they exhibited a significant and important role as a useful toll in heavy metals removal capacity. Algae as renewable resources, their abundance worldwide and ability to concentrate heavy metals in their tissues, encouraged scientists to focusing on their implementation in heavy metal pollutants reduction from environmental ecosystems. Their efficacy and advantageous over physico-chemical methods make them as alternative, eco-sustainable and potent way for heavy metals removal.