“We studied three species of brown algae in the Black Sea: Cystoseira crinita, Cystoseira erica, and Cystoseira barbata, which are perennials growing in the rocky soil of the Black and Azov Seas at a depth of 0.5 to 20 meters. We studied the chemical composition of the species and their adsorption capacity, and evaluated their ability to absorb cesium ions under static and dynamic conditions. During the experiment, we passed a solution of cesium nitrate into an ion exchange column filled with an absorbent. Upon exiting the column, the solution was analyzed and the metal content in it was measured. As a result, we recorded the maximum absorption of cesium ions in the case of using seaweed of the species Cystoseira barbata,” said Ekaterina Spetneva, a student of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology at the university.
According to researchers, among the most dangerous metals for the health of people and animals are toxic metals: cadmium, copper, arsenic, nickel, mercury, lead, zinc, chromium and radioactive elements. Radiocesium is one of the most harmful isotopes, its half-life is more than 30 years, which means that radioactive contamination after major accidents, for example, at nuclear power plants, persists for many years.
Today, there are various types of inorganic sorbents used to purify water from radionuclides and heavy metals. But plants and marine organisms also have the ability to absorb such substances, which makes it possible to use them to develop a more effective environmental cleaning agent. In particular, seaweeds have pores, the size of which is similar to that of cesium ions. Brown algae contain active groups of organic compounds that absorb mono- and divalent metals from the solution. This property can be used in sorbents used in the complex purification process of water contaminated with heavy metals and radionuclides.
The press service of the University of Bremen noted that the use of brown algae is independent because it is a non-toxic, cheap and accessible raw material for the production of environmentally friendly sorbents, and can be used as a medicine for the extraction of heavy metals and radionuclides from the human and animal body. The study showed that the best studied samples are the algae Cystoseira barbata.
Source: TASS
#Russia. #Development #absorbent #material #Black #Sea #algae
2024-08-21 13:57:35
