Characterization of Pb<Superscript>2+</Superscript> biosorption from aqueous solution by<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Rhodotorula glutinis</Emphasis>

The yeast Rhodotorula glutinis was examined for its ability to remove Pb(2+) from aqueous solution. Within 10 min of contact, Pb(2+) sorption reached nearly 80% of the total Pb(2+) sorption. The optimum initial pH value for removal of Pb(2+ )was 4.5-5.0. The percentage sorption increased steeply with the biomass concentration up to 2 g/l and thereafter remained more or less constant. Temperature in the range 15-45 degrees C did not show any significant difference in Pb(2+ )sorption by R. glutinis. The light metal ions such as Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) did not significantly interfere with the binding. The Langmuir sorption model provided a good fit throughout the concentration range. The maximum Pb(2+ )sorption capacity q(max) and Langmuir constant b were 73.5 mg/g of biomass and 0.02 l/mg, respectively. The mechanism of Pb(2+) removal by R. glutinis involved biosorption by direct biosorptive interaction with the biomass through ion exchange and precipitation by phosphate released from the biomass.     

Removal of Pb2+ from aqueous system by live Oscillatoria laete-virens (Crouan and Crouan) Gomont isolated from industrial effluents

Cyanobacteria have been found to be potential biosorbents of metal ions from waste water. The Pb(2+) removal capacity of growing cells of indigenous cyanobacterium Oscillatoria laete-virens (Crouan and Crouan) Gomont was studied under batch experiments and it was found capable of removing Pb(2+) of lower concentrations (below 100?mg L(-1)). The effects of different concentrations of Pb(2+), on the growth rate of alga were also evaluated. The research parameters include the pH of the solution, contact time, initial concentration of Pb(2+), and culture density. Of the parameters studied, the pH of the solution was found to be the most crucial. The removal of Pb(2+) peaked at an initial pH of 5. The data obtained from the equilibrium experiments were found well fitting with the Langmuir isotherm with a maximum sorptive capacity (q (max)) of 20.36?mg?g(-1), indicating a good biosorbtive potential of growing cells. This was confirmed using scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, which showed the adsorption of lead on the surface of the cell. The species could tolerate a concentration as high as 60?mg L(-1) of Pb(2+). It was observed that the removal obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The percentage removal was found to decrease with increasing metal concentration, from 10 to 100?mg L(-1). FTIR analysis indicates the involvement of amino, carboxylic and amide groups in the sorption process. Among the desorbing agents evaluated, an efficient recovery of 90.2?% was achieved by HCl, in 24?h. Thus Oscillatoria laete-virens (Crouan and Crouan) Gomont seems to be a promising metal biosorbent for the treatment of Pb(2+), in waste waters.     

Biosorption of cadmium and lead ions by ethanol treated waste baker's yeast biomass

The biosorption of cadmium and lead ions from artificial aqueous solutions using waste baker's yeast biomass was investigated. The yeast cells were treated with caustic, ethanol and heat for increasing their biosorption capacity and the highest metal uptake values (15.63 and 17.49 mg g(-1) for Cd(2+) and Pb(2+), respectively) were obtained by ethanol treated yeast cells. The effect of initial metal concentration and pH on biosorption by ethanol treated yeast was studied. The Langmuir model and Freundlich equation were applied to the experimental data and the Langmuir model was found to be in better correlation with the experimental data. The maximum metal uptake values (qmax, mg g(-1)) were found as 31.75 and 60.24 for Cd(2+) and Pb(2+), respectively. Competitive biosorption experiments were performed with Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) together with Cu(2+) and the competitive biosorption capacities of the yeast biomass for all metal ions were found to be lower than in non-competitive conditions.     

Sorption of lead, cadmium, and zinc on sulfur-containing chemically modified wastes of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook f.)

We have tested the applicability of regular as well as sulfanylacetic acid (SA) modified fluted pumpkin waste biomass as adsorbents for Pb2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ aqueous solutions by means of the batch-sorption technique. The data revealed that SA modification produces a larger surface area, enhancing the metal-ion binding capacity of the biomass. The sorption process was examined by means of Freundlich and Langmuir models. The kinetic study showed that the sorption rates can be described by a pseudo-second-order process. The rate constants for the control biomass (CB) were 2.2x10(-2), 4.4x10(-2), and 1.6x10(-2) mg g(-1) min(-1) for Pb2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+, respectively; and the corresponding rate constants for the SA-modified biomass were 4.0x10(-2), 4.7x10(-2), and 1.7x10(-2) mg g(-1) min(-1), respectively. Thermodynamic considerations indicated a spontaneous exothermic process, which implies that physisorption is the main mechanism in the sorption process.     

Equilibrium isotherm studies for the uptake of cadmium and lead ions onto sugar beet pulp

The adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ on sugar beet pulp (SBP), a low-cost material, has been studied. In the present work, the abilities of native (SBP) to remove cadmium (Cd2+) and lead (Pb2+) ions from aqueous solutions were compared. The (SBP) an industrial by product and solid waste of sugar industry were used for the removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions from aqueous water. Batch adsorption studies were carried out to examine the influence of various parameters such as initial pH, adsorbent dose, initial metal ion concentration, and time on uptake. The sorption process was relatively fast and equilibrium was reached after about 70 min of contact. As much as 70-75% removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions for (SBP) are possible in about 70 min, respectively, under the batch test conditions. Uptake of Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions on (SBP) showed a pH-dependent profile. The overall uptake for the (SBP) is at a maximum at pH 5.3 and gives up to 46.1 mg g(-1) for Cd2+ and at pH 5.0 and gives 43.5 mg g(-1) for Pb2+ for (SBP), which seems to be removed exclusively by ion exchange, physical sorption and chelation. A dose of 8 gL(-1) was sufficient for the optimum removal of both the metal ions. The Freundlich represented the sorption data for (SBP). In the presence of 0.1M NaNO3 the level of metal ion uptake was found to reach its maximum value very rapidly with the speed increasing both with the (SPB) concentration and with increasing initial pH of the suspension. The reversibility of the process was investigated. The desorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions which were previously deposited on the (SBP) back into the deionised water was observed only in acidic pH values during one day study period and was generally rather low. The extent of adsorption for both metals increased along with an increase of the (SBP) dosage. (SBP), which is cheap and highly selective, therefore seems to be a promising substrate to entrap heavy metals in aqueous solutions.     

Sorption of Cr(VI), Cu(II) and Pb(II) by growing and non-growing cells of a bacterial consortium

This paper reports the sorption of three metallic ions, namely Cr(VI), Cu(II) and Pb(II) in aqueous solution by a consortium culture (CC) comprising an acclimatised mixed bacterial culture collected from point and non-point sources. Metal sorption capability of growing and non-growing cells at initial pH of between 3 and 8 in the 1-100mg/L concentration range were studied based on Q(max) and K(f) values of the Langmuir and linearised Freundlich isotherm models, respectively. Maximal metal loading was generally observed to be dependent on the initial pH. Growing cells displayed significant maximal loading (Q(max)) for Pb(II) (238.09 mg/g) and Cu(II) (178.87 mg/g) at pH 6 and at pH 7 for Cr(VI) (90.91 mg/g) compared to non-growing cells (p < 0.05). At the pH range of 6-8, growing cells showed higher loading capacity compared to non-growing cells i.e. 38-52% for Cr, 17-28% for Cu and 3-17% for Pb. At lower metal concentrations and at more acidic pH (3-4) however, non-growing cells had higher metal loading capacity than growing cells. The metal sorption capacity for both populations were as follows: Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Cr(VI).     

Co2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ accumulation by cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis

The Spirulina platensis biomass was characterized for its metal accumulation as a function of pH, external metal concentration, equilibrium isotherms, kinetics, effect of co-ions under free (living cells, lyophilized, and oven-dried) and immobilized (Ca-alginate and polyacrylamide gel) conditions. The maximum metal biosorption by S. platensis biomass was observed at pH 6.0 with free and immobilized biomass. The studies on equilibrium isotherm experiments showed highest maximum metal loading by living cells (181.0 +/- 13.1 mg Co(2+)/g, 272.1 +/- 29.4 mg Cu(2+)/g and 250.3 +/- 26.4 mg Zn(2+)/g) followed by lyophilized (79.7 +/- 9.6 mg Co(2+)/g, 250.0 +/- 22.4 mg Cu(2+)/g and 111.2 +/- 9.8 mg Zn(2+)/g) and oven-dried (25.9 +/- 1.9 mg Co(2+)/g, 160.0 +/- 14.2 mg Cu(2+)/g and 35.1 +/- 2.7 mg Zn(2+)/g) biomass of S. platensis on a dry weight basis. The polyacrylamide gel (PAG) immobilization of lyophilized biomass found to be superior over Ca-alginate (Ca-Alg) and did not interfere with the S. platensis biomass biosorption capacity, yielding 25% of metal loading after PAG entrapment. The time-dependent metal biosorption in both the free and immobilized form revealed existence of two phases involving an initial rapid phase (which lasted for 1-2 min) contributing 63-77% of total biosorption, followed by a slower phase that continued for 2 h. The metal elution studies conducted using various reagents showed more than 90% elution with mineral acids, calcium salts, and Na(2)EDTA with free (lyophilized or oven-dried) as well as immobilized biomass. The experiments conducted to examine the suitability of PAG-immobilized S. platensis biomass over multiple cycles of Co(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) sorption and elution showed that the same PAG cubes can be reused for at least seven cycles with high efficiency.     

Impact of Cell Wall Structure on the Behavior of Bacterial Cells as Sorbents of Cadmium and Lead

Batch metal sorption studies were conducted to compare the behavior of Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and Gram-negative Escherichia coli as sorbents of Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ . A pH range from 3.0 to 6.5 was investigated at total metal concentrations of 1 2 10 -4.0 and 3.2 2 10 -5 M. Concentration apparent equilibrium sorption constants (K s n M ) and sorption capacity (S max n ) values were determined for the bacteria by fitting experimental data to one- ( n = 1) and two-site ( n = 2) Langmuir sorption isotherms. The sorption data for each of the bacteria were described well by a one-site model (r 2 > 0.9), Cd 2+ exhibited somewhat lower sorption affinities (log K s M =- 1.5 for B. subtilis , and -0.7 for E. coli ) than Pb 2+ (log K s M =-0.6 for B. subtilis and -0.8 for E. coli ). Corresponding S max values for Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ on B. subtilis were 0.36 mmole/g and 0.27 mmole/g, respectively. For E. coli Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ S max values were lower at 0.10 mmole/g and 0.21 mmole/g. A two-site sorption model yielded an improved fit for only the E. coli data with several orders of magnitude difference evident between high (Cd 2+ log K s1 M = 0.9; Pb 2+ log K s1 M = 1.5) and low (Cd 2+ log K s2 M =- 1.1; Pb 2+ log K s2 M = -1.6) affinity sorption sites. In addition, allowing for the presence of low affinity sorption (i.e., S max2 ) sites further increased the total E. coli metal sorption capacity closer to that of B. subtilis . As expected, the sorption of Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ by the bacteria exhibited a strong dependence on pH with sorption edges in the range of pH 4.2 to 5.6. The results of this study show that, despite differences in cell wall structure and composition, B. subtilis and E. coli exhibit remarkably similar sorption behavior toward Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ , respectively. These similarities can be attributed to the specific chemical reactivity of acidic functional groups (e.g., carboxyl, phosphoryl) that occur in the cell walls of both bacteria.     

Biosorption characteristics of Aspergillus flavus biomass for removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions from an aqueous solution

The Pb(II) and Cu(II) biosorption characteristics of Aspergillus flavus fungal biomass were examined as a function of initial pH, contact time and initial metal ion concentration. Heat inactivated (killed) biomass was used in the determination of optimum conditions before investigating the performance of pretreated biosorbent. The maximum biosorption values were found to be 13.46 +/- 0.99 mg/g for Pb(II) and 10.82 +/- 1.46 mg/g for Cu(II) at pH 5.0 +/- 0.1 with an equilibrium time of 2 h. Detergent, sodium hydroxide and dimethyl sulfoxide pretreatments enhanced the biosorption capacity of biomass in comparison with the heat inactivated biomass. The biosorption data obtained under the optimum conditions were well described by the Freundlich isotherm model. Competitive biosorption of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions was also investigated to determine the selectivity of the biomass. The results indicated that A. flavus is a suitable biosorbent for the removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution.     

Copper(II) and lead(II) sorption from aqueous solution by non-living Spirogyra neglecta

Dried biomass of Spirogyra neglecta rapidly sorbed the test metals and the process became saturated in 10-20min. Maximum sorption of Pb(II) [116.1mgg(-1)] and Cu(II) [115.3mgg(-1)] occurred at 0.1gl(-1) biomass and 100mgl(-1) metal concentration in the solution. Sorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) occurred optimally at pH 4.5 and 5.0, respectively. Lead(II) and Cu(II) sorption were lesser from binary metal solution than from single metal solution. Lead(II) more severely inhibited Cu(II) sorption than vice versa thus reflecting greater affinity of Pb(II) for the biomass. NaOH pretreatment slightly enhanced the metal removal ability of the biomass. During repeated sorption/desorption cycles, Pb(II) and Cu(II) sorption decreased by 11% and 27%, respectively, at the end of the fifth cycle due inter alia to 10-15% loss of biomass. Nevertheless, Spirogyra appears to be a good sorbent for removing metals Cu(II) and Pb(II) from wastewaters.     

Biosorption of Cr (VI) with Trichoderma viride immobilized fungal biomass and cell free Ca-alginate beads

Ability of Cr (VI) biosorption with immobilized Trichoderma viride biomass and cell free Ca-alginate beads was studied in the present study. Biosorption efficiency in the powdered fungal biomass entrapped in polymeric matric of calcium alginate compared with cell free calcium alginate beads. Effect of pH, initial metal ion concentration, time and biomass dose on the Cr (VI) removal by immobilized and cell free Ca-alginate beads were also determined. Biosorption of Cr (VI) was pH dependent and the maximum adsorption was observed at pH 2.0. The adsorption equilibrium was reached in 90 min. The maximum adsorption capacity of 16.075 mgg(-1) was observed at dose 0.2 mg in 100 ml of Cr (VI) solution. The high value of kinetics rate constant Kad (3.73 x 10(-2)) with immobilized fungal biomass and (3.75 x 10(-2)) with cell free Ca- alginate beads showed that the sorption of Cr (VI) ions on immobilized biomass and cell free Ca-alginate beads followed pseudo first order kinetics. The experimental results were fitted satisfactory to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The hydroxyl (-OH) and amino (-NH) functional groups were responsible in biosorption of Cr (VI) with fungal biomass spp. Trichoderma viride analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer.     

Improvement of heavy metal biosorption by mycelial dead biomasses (Rhizopus arrhizus, Mucor miehei and Penicillium chrysogenum): pH control and cationic activation

Abstract: Fungal mycelial by-products from fermentation industries present a considerable affinity for soluble metal ions (e.g. Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb, Cr, Ag) and could be used in biosorption processes for purification of contaminated effluents. In this work the influence of pH on sorption parameters is characterized by measuring the isotherms of five heavy metals (Ni, Zn, Cd, Ag and Pb) with Rhizopus arrhizus biomass under pH-controlled conditions. The maximum sorption capacity for lead was observed at pH 7.0 (200 mg g^-l), while silver uptake was weakly affected. The stability of metal-biosorbent complexes is regularly enhanced by pH neutralization, except for lead. A transition in sorption mechanism was observed above pH 6.0. In addition, comparison of various industrial fungal biomasses ( R. arrhizus, Mucor miehei and Penicillium chrysogenum indicated important variations in zinc-binding and buffering properties (0.24, 0.08 and 0.05 mmol g^−l, respectively). Without control, the equilibrium pH (5.8, 3.9 and 4.0) is shown to be related to the initial calcium content of the biosorbent, pH neutralization during metal adsorption increases zinc sorption in all fungi (0.57, 0.52 and 0.33 mmol g-l) but an improvement was also obtained (0.34, 0.33 and 0.10 mmol g⁻¹) by calcium saturation of the biomass before heavy metal accumulation. Breakthrough curves of fixed bed biosorbent columns demonstrated the capacity of the biosorbent process to purify zinc and lead solutions in continuous-flow systems, and confirmed the necessity for cationic activation of the biosorbent before contact with the heavy-metal solution.     

Biosorption of lead(II), cadmium(II), copper(II) and nickel(II) by anaerobic granular biomass

Biosorption is potentially an attractive technology for treatment of wastewater for retaining heavy metals from dilute solutions. This study investigated the feasibility of anaerobic granules as a novel type of biosorbent, for lead, copper, cadmium, and nickel removal from aqueous solutions. Anaerobic sludge supplied from a wastewater treatment plant in the province of Quebec was used. Anaerobic granules are microbial aggregates with a strong, compact and porous structure and excellent settling ability. After treatment of the biomass with Ca ions, the cation exchange capacity of the biomass was approximately 111 meq/100 g of biomass dry weight which is comparable to the metal binding capacities of commercial ion exchange resins. This work investigated the equilibrium, batch dynamics for the biosorption process. Binding capacity experiments using viable biomass revealed a higher value than those for nonviable biomass. Binding capacity experiments using non-viable biomass treated with Ca revealed a high value of metals uptake. The solution initial pH value affected metal sorption. Over the pH range of 4.0-5.5, pH-related effects were not significant. Meanwhile, at lower pH values the uptake capacity decreased. Time dependency experiments for the metal ions uptake showed that adsorption equilibrium was reached almost 30 min after metal addition. It was found that the q(max) for Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ ions, were 255, 60, 55, and 26 mg/g respectively (1.23, 0.53, 0.87, and 0.44 mmol/g respectively). The data pertaining to the sorption dependence upon metal ion concentration could be fitted to a Langmiur isotherm model. Based on the results, the anaerobic granules treated with Ca appear to be a promising biosorbent for removal of heavy metals from wastewater due to its optimal uptake of heavy metals, its particulate shape, compact porous structure, excellent settling ability, and its high mechanical strength.     

Biosorption of chromium, copper, manganese and zinc by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT18 isolated from a site contaminated with petroleum

The study describes the sorption of Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT18 isolated from a site contaminated with petroleum and heavy metals. The concentrations studied were 50, 49, 60 and 70 (mg L(-1)) for Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn, respectively. The solution pH and ionic strength were very important factors in the metal biosorption performance and the biosorption capacity of P. aeruginosa AT18 for Cr3+,Cu2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+. In aqueous solution, the biosorption increased with increasing pH in the range 5.46-7.72. The results obtained in the experimental assays show that P. aeruginosa AT18 has the capacity for biosorption of the metallic ions Cr3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ in solutions, although its capacity for the sorption of manganese is low (22.39 mg Mn2+/g of biomass) in comparison to the Cr3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions, as shown by the individual analyses. However, 20% of the manganese was removed from an initial concentration of 49.0 mg L(-1), with a Qm value similar to that obtained in solutions containing mixtures of Cr3+, Cu2+, Mn2+and Zn2+. The chromium level sorbed by P. aeruginosa AT18 biomass was higher than that for Cu, Mn and Zn, with 100% removal in the pH range 7.00-7.72 and a Qm of 121.90-200.00 mg of Cr3+/g of biomass. The removal of Cr, Cu and Zn is also a result of precipitation processes.     

The efficiency of the red alga Mastocarpus stellatus for remediation of cadmium pollution

This work reports the results of the study for cadmium binding by the dead red macroalga Mastocarpus stellatus. Kinetics sorption experiments demonstrated the high rate of metal biosorption: the system attained over 50% of the total biomass cadmium uptake within 2 min of contact and over 90% in the first 9 min. The kinetic data were successfully described by a pseudo-second order model with rate constants ranging from 1.06 to 10 gmmol(-1)min(-1), as a function of initial metal concentration and temperature. The equilibrium binding was accurately represented in terms of Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich models. The sorption isotherms at constant pH showed uptake values as 0.49 mmol g(-1) (at pH 2.4), 0.56 mmol g(-1) (at pH 4) and 0.59 mmol g(-1) (at pH 6), while the affinity constant values were between 0.6 and 5 mmol(-1) L (Langmuir fit). The acid-base properties of the alga were also studied, obtaining the total number of acid groups, 2.5 mmol g(-1), and their apparent pK value, 1.56, using the Katchalsky model. Desorption studies were conducted employing different HNO(3) concentrations and desorption times.     

Ion exchange during heavy metal bio-sorption from aqueous solution by dried biomass of macrophytes

In this study, potentials of oven dried biomass of Eichhornia crassipes, Valisneria spiralis and Pistia stratiotes, were examined in terms of their heavy metal (Cd, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr and Pb) sorption capacity, from individual-metal and multi-metal aqueous solutions at pH 6.0+/-0.1 (a popular pH of industrial effluent). V. spiralis was the most and E. crassipes was the least efficient for removal of all the metals. Cd, Pb and Zn were efficiently removed by all the three biomass. Cd was removed up to 98% by V. spiralis. Sorption data for Cr, Ni and Cd fitted better to Langmuir isotherm equation, while, the sorption data for Pb, Zn and Cu fitted better to Freundlich isotherm equation. In general, the presence of other metal ions did not influence significantly the targeted metal sorption capacity of the test plant biomasses. Ion exchange was proven the main mechanism involved in bio-sorption and there was a strong ionic balance between adsorbed (H(+) and M(2+)) to the released ions (Na(+) and K(+)) to and from the biomass. No significant difference was observed in the metal exchanged amount, by doubling of metal concentration (15-30 mg/l) in the solution and employing individual-metal and multi-metal solutions.     

Biosorption of lead, cadmium, and zinc by Citrobacter strain MCM B-181: characterization studies

The biosorption process for removal of lead, cadmium, and zinc by Citrobacter strain MCM B-181, a laboratory isolate, was characterized. Effects of environmental factors and growth conditions on metal uptake capacity were studied. Pretreatment of biomass with chemical agents increased cadmium sorption efficiency; however, there was no significant enhancement in lead and zinc sorption capacity. Metal sorption by Citrobacter strain MCM B-181 was found to be influenced by the pH of the solution, initial metal concentration, biomass concentration, and type of growth medium. The metal sorption process was not affected by the age of the culture or change in temperature. Equilibrium metal sorption was found to fit the Langmuir adsorption model. Kinetic studies showed that metal uptake by Citrobacter strain MCM B-181 was a fast process, requiring <20 min to achieve >90% adsorption efficiency. The presence of cations reduced lead, zinc, and cadmium sorption to the extent of 11. 8%, 84.3%, and 33.4%, respectively. When biomass was exposed to multimetal solutions, metals were adsorbed in the order Co2+ < Ni2+ < Cd2+ < Cu2+ < Zn2+ < Pb2+. Among various anions tested, only phosphate and citrate were found to hamper metal sorption capacity of cells. Biosorbent beads prepared by immobilizing the Citrobacter biomass in polysulfone matrix exhibited high metal loading capacities. A new mathematical model used for batch kinetic studies was found to be highly useful in prediction of experimentally obtained metal concentration profiles as a function of time. Metal desorption studies indicated that Citrobacter beads could, in principle, be regenerated and reused in adsorption-desorption cycles. In an expanded scale trial, biosorbent beads were found to be useful in removal/recovery of metals such as lead from industrial wastewaters.     

Cyanobacteria as a biosorbent for mercuric ion

The biosorption of Hg(2+) by two strains of cyanobacteria, Spirulina platensis and Aphanothece flocculosa, was studied under a batch stirred reaction system. Essential process parameters, including pH, biomass concentration, initial metal concentration, and presence of co-ions were shown to influence the Hg(2+) uptake. Hg(2+) uptake was optimal at pH 6.0 for both strains. The maximum loading capacities per gram of dry biomass were found to be 456 mg Hg(2+) for A. flocculosa and 428 mg Hg(2+) for S. platensis. At an initial concentration of 10 ppm Hg(2+), A. flocculosa was able to remove more than 98% of the mercury ion from solution. The biosorption kinetics of both strains showed that the metal uptake is bi-phasic, exhibiting a rapid initial uptake followed by a slower absorption process. The presence of dissolved Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Fe(3+) were found to play a synergistic role for Hg(2+) uptake by both strains. Regeneration of the biomass was examined by treating Hg(2+)-loaded samples with HCl and NH(4)Cl over four cycles of sorption and desorption.     

Removal of lead from aqueous solutions by Penicillium biomass

The removal of lead ions from aqueous solutions by adsorption on nonliving Penicillium chrysogenum biomass was studied. Biosorption of the Pb(+2) ion was strongly affected by pH. Within a pH range of 4 to 5, the saturated sorption uptake of Pb(+2) was 116 mg/g dry biomass, higher than that of activated charcoal and some other microorganisms. At pH 4.5, P. chrysogenum biomass exhibited selectivity for Pb(+2) over other metal ions such as Cd(+2), Cu(+2), Zn(+2), and As(+3) Sorption preference for metals decreased in the following order: Pb > Cd > Cu > Zn > As. The sorption uptake of Pb(+2) remained unchanged in the presence of Cu(+2) and As(+3), it decreased in the presence of Zn(+2), and increased in the presence of Cd(+2). (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ion exchange/complexation of the uranyl ion by Rhizopus biosorbent

Nonliving biomass of nine Rhizopus species effectively sequestered the uranyl ion from solution, taking up 150-250 mg U/g dry cells at 300 ppm U equilibrium concentration in solution, and 100-160 mg U/g dry cells with 100 ppm U in solution. The affinity of this biosorbent for the uranyl ion was found to be affected by timing of harvesting and medium composition. Uptake of the uranyl ion by nonliving biomass of Rhizopus oligosporus was due to ion exchange or complexation, since binding was reversed by the addition of complexing ligands or the reduction of pH to a value less than 2. Uptake isotherms were interpreted in terms of a model of multiple equilibria. At pH 相似文献