Heavy metals removal by the microalgae Chlorococcum

Abstract Heavy metals are one of the main threats to marine life and ecosystems and any remedial action in that regard is urgently required. The aim of this work is to study the bioaccumulation of cadmium, chromium and lead in the microalgae Chlorococcum isolated from Tunisian coastal waters along with assessing its enzymatic and molecular responses. This strain tolerated Cd and Cr accumulation while resisting that of Pb. Cd and Cr exposures elicited a decrease in chlorophyll, lipid and polysaccharide contents whereas no damages were detected following Pb treatment. For protein content, no significant changes were seen except for Pb which exhibited a slight increase after treatment.