ABSTRACT
TENG-CHIEN CHEN, RICKY PRIAMBODO, RUO-LIN HUANG, AND YAO-HUI HUANG
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Heavy metals are elements having atomic weights between 63.5 and 200.6 g/mol and a specific gravity greater than 5.0 [1]. With the rapid development of industries such as metal plating facilities, mining operations, fertilizer industries, tanneries, batteries, paper industries, and pesticides, heavy metals wastewaters are directly or indirectly discharged into the environment increasingly, especially in developing countries. Unlike organic contaminants, heavy metals are not biodegradable and tend to accumulate in living organisms, and many heavy metal ions are known to be toxic or carcinogenic. Toxic heavy metals of particular concern in treatment of industrial wastewaters include nickel, mercury, cadmium, lead, and chromium.
