Background: Eliminating heavy metal compounds from industrial waste water has been a critical matter through years. Although such metals (e.g. Mercury, Cadmium and Nickel) have specific functions in particular industries, they will be dangerous and will be considered pollutants if they enter the environment and affect the ambient ecosystem. Many researches were conducted to eliminate these compounds. The aim of this study was to present an efficient and cost-effective method to absorb heavy metal ions using two microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris, Spirulina platenesis). This method is much more economical compared to mesoporous materials and other nano-adsorbents.

Materials and Methods: The academic databases of Scopus and Elsevier were searched.

Results: In this method, heavy metal compounds and ions make some bonds and physical adsorption to the microalgae's cell walls and some other cell ingredients get eliminated from the whole waste water. While the biomass in this process is important, the viability is not. Moreover, diluting the waste water can increase the elimination process yield. The two blue-green algaes have many functions like food production, pharmaceuticals and medicine that must have been produced under sterile condition in closed bioreactors, but for this function we can produced the biomass in open pounds next to the factories.

Conclusion: Considering the dangers and serious pollutions that heavy metals can make for human beings potentially, and their entrance to the environment, filtaration of industrial waste water that carry heavy metals are inevitable. Eliminating these metals from the waste water matrix is important. Using these two microalages can be effective for the purpose of physical adsorption and the formation of bonds with metal compounds which makes a cost-effective and efficient filtration.