Neutron activation analysis for development of mercury sorbent based on blue-green alga Spirulina platensis

Epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA) was used to study the interaction of blue–green alga Spirulina platensis with toxic metal mercury. Various concentrations of Hg(II) were introduced into a nutrient medium during the process of Spirulina biomass cultivation. The dynamics of Hg accumulation by Spirulina biomass was investigated over several days. The process of Hg adsorption by Spirulina biomass was studied in short-time experiments. The isotherm of adsorption based on the results obtained was calculated. It was shown that live Spirulina biomass has the potential to be used for sorption of mercury from solutions at concentrations of ∼100–500 μg/l.