Chelating Properties of Extracellular Polysaccharides from Chlorella spp

Abstract

Chlorella stigmatophora LB 993 was grown in artificial seawater under controlled conditions. The production of cell wall polysaccharides attached to the cells and dissolved in the growth medium was monitored during algal growth. Preliminary characterization of the dissolved polysaccharides of C. stigmatophora and other Chlorella species is presented. The capacity of dissolved polysaccharides of C. stigmatophora to bind toxic heavy metals was also studied and compared with that of polysaccharides produced by other marine Chlorella species. The differences in metal-complexing capacity observed for dissolved polysaccharides obtained from various Chlorella species is attributable to differences in the composition of the polysaccharides, notably the uronic acids content.