Experimental and kinetic study for lead removal via photosynthetic consortia using genetic algorithms to parameter estimation.

This work presents an experimental-theoretical strategy for a batch process for lead removal by photosynthetic consortium, conformed by algae and bacteria. Photosynthetic consortium, isolated from a treatment plant wastewater of Tecamac (Mexico), was used as inoculum in bubble column photobioreactors. The consortium was used to evaluate the kinetics of lead removal at different initial concentrations of metal (15, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mgL), carried out in batch culture with a hydraulic residence time of 14 days using Bold's Basal mineral medium.