Fluorometric response of photosynthetic microorganism consortium as potential bioindicator for heavy metals detection in water

Abstract

This paper reports the fluorometric responses of photosynthetic microorganism consortium in the detection of heavy metals (Cu and Cd). The consortium was collected from natural water body, and then exposed to different concentration of heavy metals. The response was measured based on the fluorescence signal emitted by the consortium before and after the exposure to heavy metals, with excitation and emission wavelengths set at 526 nm and 648 nm respectively. Cell suspension with optical density (OD) of 0.75 at λ = 700 nm was found to produce best response. The ability of the consortium to respond to both heavy metals within 0.01 – 10.00 mg/L was confirmed. Thus, photosynthetic microorganism consortium could be a good natural candidate as heavy metals bioindicator.