Bioremediation of mercury by fungal biomass

The environmental contamination by organic and inorganic pollutants is a real threat to water resources,because it disrupts ecosystems by introducing a large number of toxic substances such as mercury,which can be accumulated in the food chain .this accumulation can cause disturbances in the immune,kidney and neurological system; consequently it affects human and animal health. molds have a cell wall which is rich of chitin and chitosan,capable of accumulating large amounts of heavy metals. these microorganisms have been used as a novel biological absorbent for the removal of mercury at low concentrations in the order of (10 μg / land 5×103μg/ l). in orders to study the kinetics of the bio-sorption,three parameters have been studied: the ph,the temperature and the initial concentration of mercury. the maximum bio-sorption was observed at ph7. a positive correlation was observed between the capacity of the bio-sorption and of the test medium temperature. the results of the adsorption temperature variation are in agreement with many works and all these parameters are related to the adsorption phenomenon. this experimental adsorption process has been proven in laboratory tests and deserves much more attention for its wide application.