فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Water and soil pollution represent a fundamental human issue globally. Heavy metals are one of the basic pollutants of water and soil, which can be caused and intensified by anthropogenic activities, including mining, transportation, and various industries. Due to the toxic effects of these metals on the environment, organisms, and human health, the removal or recovery of these elements from polluted environments is of particular importance. Different methods and techniques have been applied to remove these pollutants, among which, bioremediation has received considerable attention due to its eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness. Bioremediation uses the ability of various organisms to decrease or remove pollutants. Algae are among the organisms that show significant capabilities in removing different types of contaminants, especially heavy metal ions. Phycoremediation is an application of algae as bio-remediate agents, and depends on factors such as light, temperature, pH, type of pollutant, and type of taxon. Various strains are known for their ability to remediation heavy metals. The most basic methods in removing pollutants using algae are biosorption into the cell (absorption) and surface biosorption (adsorption), which uses the living or non-living mass of algae. New techniques, such as using transgenic microalgae, are among the effective detoxifying and rapidly growing methods. Genetic engineering for algae gene editing and gene silencing benefits various technologies and tools such as reporter genes, Cre-lox recombination, and CRISPR-Cas systems, modular cloning toolkits, regulatory elements, promoters, vectors, restriction enzymes, and post-transcriptional gene silencing technologies. Other novel techniques whose future on an industrial scale seems promising are the combined use of microalgae and bacteria, biochar addition, and biogenic nanomaterials generated from algae. These innovative methods offer sustainable and cost-effective solutions for environmental pollution, therefore boosting public health. Studies on the development and implementation of these techniques are ongoing in the world. In this paper, the ability of 78 algae species to remove 18 heavy metals has been reviewed.