MARIA ELIZABETEI VIJILY AND A. JOHN DE BRITTO
Abstract
Saltpans, Micro alNae, Culture, Accumulation of heaz)y metals AbstractâThree unicellular micro algae namely Aphanothece microscopica, Dunaliella sauna and Nit zschia closterium are cultured with various dosages of heavy metals such as zinc and lead and also sodium chloride in order to investigate the accumulation pattern of heavy metals with respect to variations in salinity by these selected algae that are present in the sal tpans of Thoothukkudi region. The results indicate that accumulation of heavy metals is directly proportional to their concentration in the medium and Dunaliella sauna accumulates the highest amount of both Zinc and Lead among the three algae. So, it can be concluded that D. sauna can be used for accumulating the heavy metals in the saltpans, which in turn can result in splendid, supplementary and sanitary salt production.