Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-7-2026

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Susan Pedigo

Second Advisor

James Cizdziel

Third Advisor

Kensha Clark

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination, particularly from copper, poses significant risks to environmental and human health. The experiments in this paper establish the foundational methodology for using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, live baker’s yeast cells, in the remediation of Cu(II) metal contamination. These live cells utilize biosorption and bioaccumulation in the metal uptake process. Growth conditions in the laboratory were standardized, including the cell concentration values, the appropriate inoculation volumes, and the inclusion of additives in the growth medium. The generation times for various cultures were calculated. This was done using a linear log-log relationship that allowed conversion of the absorbance at 660nm to the cell concentration. Under optimized conditions, S. cerevisiae exhibited a generation time of approximately 1.5-2.2 hours, which was consistent with the literature expectation of 1.5 hours. The growth experiments demonstrated that low Cu(II) concentrations, lower than 4mM, were tolerable and slightly enhanced metabolic activity. This was observed through a shortened lag phase. The experiments demonstrated that high Cu(II) concentrations, 4mM or higher, were toxic to the cell and fully inhibited growth. These results confirm that live yeast cells can tolerate Cu(II) until a toxicity threshold, supporting the use of yeast in the remediation of Cu(II) contamination from water sources. These experiments develop the groundwork for utilizing yeast as a low-cost, sustainable, and environmentally friendly resource for the remediation process.

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Available for download on Wednesday, May 12, 2027

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