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.     

Effects of Ni(II) on respirometric oxygen uptake

The effects of Ni(II), substrate and initial biomass concentrations on biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) were studied by using an electrolytic respirometer. The effects of Ni(II) (2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 25.0 mg/l) and substrate (325, 650, 1300 mg/l as chemical oxygen demand) in a synthetic wastewater with differing initial biomass concentrations (1, 10, 100 mg/l) were investigated. The biomass-to-metal ratio was found to be the most important parameter affecting the measured BOD values. The maximum specific growth rates were calculated and the results of batch respirometric experiments were analysed both by graphical and statistical methods. In statistical analyses, a factorial experimental design approach was followed and results were treated by multiple regression techniques. A mathematical model was developed to express the maximum oxygen uptake in terms of nickel, substrate and initial biomass concentrations and their magnitudes of their effects were compared. The biomass-to-metal ratio was found to be very significant so that another model that expresses oxygen uptake in relation to the biomass-to-metal ratio and also to substrate concentration was developed. Finally, the effect of Ni(II) was demonstrated to depend on both substrate and initial biomass concentrations. This effect was stimulatory at low concentrations of Ni(II), and complete inhibition was never observed even at the highest concentration of Ni(II) studied, which was 25.0 mg/l. Received: 4 January 1997 / Received revision: 10 June 1997 / Accepted: 29 June 1997     

Removal of lead from solution by the non-viable biomass of the water fern Azolla filiculoides

Non-viable biomass of the aquatic fern, Azolla filiculoides, removed up to 93 mg lead/g biomass from solution. Lead removal varied from 30% of the initial lead concentration at pH 1.5 to approximately 95% at pH values of 3.5 and 4.5. Lead removal decreased to 30% of the initial lead concentration if the lead concentration was initially over 400 mg/l. Lead removal remained at approximately 90% between 10 °C and 50 °C. Biomass concentration (4–8 mg/l) had little effect on lead removal. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Process optimization studies of lead (Pb(II)) biosorption onto immobilized cells of Pycnoporus sanguineus using response surface methodology

A central composite design (CCD) was employed to optimize the biosorption of Pb(II) ions onto immobilized cells of Pycnoporus sanguineus. The independent variables were initial Pb(II) concentration, pH and biomass loading. The combined effects of these variables were analyzed by response surface methodology (RSM) using quadratic model for predicting the optimum point. Under these conditions the model predicted a maximum of 97.7% of Pb(II) ions removal at pH 4, 200mg/L of initial Pb(II) concentration with 10g/L of biosorbent. The experimental values are in good agreement with predicted values within +0.10 to +0.81% error.     

Influence of Ni(2+) concentration on biohydrogen production

In this paper, the effect of Ni(2+) concentration ranging from 0 to 50mg/L on fermentative hydrogen production by mixed cultures was investigated in batch test. The results showed that at 35 degrees C and initial pH 7.0, Ni(2+) was able to enhance the hydrogen production rate with increasing Ni(2+) concentration from 0 to 0.2mg/L, and enhance the hydrogen production potential and hydrogen yield with increasing Ni(2+) concentration from 0 to 0.1mg/L. The maximum hydrogen production potential of 288.6mL and the maximum hydrogen yield of 296.1mL/g glucose were obtained at the Ni(2+) concentration of 0.1mg/L. In all tests, the major soluble metabolites produced by mixed cultures were ethanol, acetic acid and butyric acid, without propionic acid. Ni(2+) had little effect on the substrate degradation efficiency with increasing concentration from 0 to 50mg/L. Ni(2+) was able to enhance the biomass production yield with increasing Ni(2+) concentration from 0 to 0.1mg/L. The maximum biomass production yield of 232.5mg/g glucose was obtained at the Ni(2+) concentration of 0.1mg/L. In all tests, the final pH after fermentative hydrogen production was lower than the initial pH.     

Biosorption of nickel(II) ions by baker's yeast: kinetic, thermodynamic and desorption studies

In this study, the biosorption of nickel(II) ion on deactivated protonated yeast was investigated as a function of temperature at different initial metal ion concentrations. The effect of temperature on the sorption was more significant at lower nickel(II) ion concentrations compared to higher concentrations. The protonated yeast biomass exhibited the highest nickel(II) ion uptake capacity at 27 degrees C at an initial nickel(II) ion concentration of 400mg/l and an initial pH of 6.75. The biosorption capacity decreased from 9.8 to 9.3mg/g at an initial nickel(II) ion concentration of 400mg/l, while at a lower initial concentration of 100mg/l, it decreased from 8.2 to 4.9 mg/g, as the temperature was increased from 27 degrees C to 60 degrees C. The equilibrium data fit better to the Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models compared to the Langmuir model in the concentration range studied (10-400mg/l). Kinetic models applied to the sorption data at different temperatures showed that nickel(II) ion uptake process followed the pseudo-second order rate model and the adsorption rate constants decreased with increasing temperature. The activation energy of biosorption (Ea) was determined to be -13.3 kJ/mol using the pseudo-second order rate constants. The results indicated that the biosorption of nickel(II) ion on to baker's yeast was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Desorption studies revealed that the protonated yeast biomass can be regenerated using 0.1N HCl and reused.     

Biosorptive removal of arsenic from drinking water

A biomass derived from the plant Momordica charantia has been found to be very efficient in arsenic(III) adsorption. An attempt was made to use this biomass for arsenic(III) removal under different conditions. The parameters optimized were contact time (5-150 min), pH (2-11), concentration of adsorbent (1-50 g/l), concentration of adsorbate (0.1-100mg/l), etc. It was observed that the pH had a strong effect on biosorption capacity. The optimum pH obtained for arsenic adsorption was 9. The influence of common ions such as Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Cd(2+), Se(4+), Cl(-), SO(4)(2-), and HCO(3)(-), at concentrations varying from 5 to 1000 mg/l was investigated. To establish the most appropriate correlation for the equilibrium curves, isotherm studies were performed for As(III) ion using Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The pattern of adsorption fitted well with both models. The biomass of M. charantia was found to be effective for the removal of As(III) with 88% sorption efficiency at a concentration of 0.5mg/l of As(III) solution, and thus uptake capacity is 0.88 mg As(III)/gm of biomass. It appears that this biomass should be used as a palliative food item. Further it also appears that the dietary habits may play a role in the toxic effects of ingested arsenic.     

Removal of hexavalent chromium by fungal biomass of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mucor racemosus</Emphasis>: influencing factors and removal mechanism

This study reported the hexavalent chromium removal by untreated Mucor racemosus biomass and the possible mechanism of Cr (VI) removal to the biomass. The optimum pH, biomass dose, initial Cr (VI) concentration and contact time were investigated thoroughly to optimize the removal condition. The metal removal by the biomass was strongly affected by pH and the optimum pH ranged from 0.5 to 1.0. The residual total Cr was determined. It was found that dichromate reduction occurred at a low very low pH value. At biomass dose 6 g/l, almost all the Cr (VI) ions were removed in the optimum condition. Higher removal percentage was observed at lower initial concentrations of Cr (VI) ions, while the removal capacity of the biomass linearly depended on the initial Cr (VI) concentration. More than half of Cr (VI) ions were diminished within 1 h of contact and removal process reached a relative equilibrium in approximately 8 h. Almost all of the Cr (VI) ions were removed in 24 h when initial concentrations were below 100 mg/l. The equilibrium data were fitted in to the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherm models and the correlated coefficients were gained from the models. A Fourier transform infrared spectra was employed to elucidate clearly the possible biosorption mechanism as well.     

Influence of nickel (II) and chromium (VI) on the laboratory scale rotating biological contactor

High concentration of heavy metals is toxic for most microorganisms and cause strict damage in wastewater treatment operations and often a physico-chemical pretreatment prior to biological treatment is considered necessary. However, in this study it has been shown that biological systems can adapt to Ni (II) and Cr (VI) when their concentration is below 10 and 20 mg/L, respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Ni (II) and Cr (VI) on the lab-scale rotating biological contactor process. It was found that, addition of Ni (II) up to 10 mg/L did not reduce the chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency and on the contrary concentrations below 10 mg/L improved the performance. The influent Ni (II) concentration of 1 mg/L was the concentration where the treatment efficiency produced a maximum COD removal of 86.5%. Moreover, Ni (II) concentration above 10 mg/L was relatively toxic to the system and produced lower treatment efficiencies than the baseline study without Ni (II). Turbidity and suspended solids removals were not stimulated to a great extent with nickel. Addition of Ni (II) did not seem to affect the pH of the system during treatment. The dissolved oxygen concentration did not drop below 4 mg/L at all concentrations of Ni (II) indicating aerobic conditions prevailed in the system. Experiments conducted with Cr (VI) revealed that addition of Cr (VI) up to 20 mg/L did not reduce the COD removal efficiency and on the contrary concentrations below 20 mg/L improved the performance. The influent Cr (VI) concentration of 1 mg/L was the concentration where the treatment efficiency produced a maximum COD removal of 88%. Turbidity and SS removals were more efficient at 5 mg/L Cr (VI) concentration, rather than 1 mg/L, which lead to the conclusion that 5 mg/L Cr (VI) concentration is the optimum concentration, in terms of COD, turbidity and SS removals. Similar with Ni (II) experiments, addition of Cr (VI) did not significantly affect the pH value of the effluent. The DO concentration remained above 5 mg/L.     

Sorption of heavy metals from electroplating effluent using immobilized biomass Trichoderma viride in a continuous packed-bed column

The sorption of heavy metals ions by immobilized Trichoderma viride biomass in a packed-bed column was studied. Fungal biomass T. viride was immobilized to Ca-alginate used for removal of Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions from synthetic solutions and electroplating effluent. The experiments were conducted to study the effect of important design parameters such as bed height, flow rate and initial concentration of metal ions. The maximum sorption capacity was observed at flow rate 5 ml/min, bed height 20 cm and metal ions concentration 50 mg/L with immobilized biomass. Whereas, breakthrough time and saturation time decreased with increase flow rate and metal ions concentration and an inverse condition was found in bed height. The bed depth service time (BDST) Adams-Bohart model was used to analyze the experimental data. The regeneration efficiency was observed 40.1%, 75% and 53% for Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Zn(II) without any significant alteration in sorption capacity after 5th sorption-desorption cycles.     

Biosorption of Nickel(II) from aqueous solution by the fungal mat of Trametes versicolor (rainbow) biomass: equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies

This study investigates the equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics of Nickel(II) biosorption from aqueous solution by the fungal mat of Trametes versicolor (rainbow) biomass. The optimum biosorption conditions like pH, contact time, biomass dosage, initial metal ion concentration and temperaturewere determined in the batch method. The biosorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM and BET surface area analysis. The experimental data were analyzed in terms of pseudo-first-order, pseudo-secondorder and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models, further it was observed that the biosorption process of Ni(II) ions closely followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The equilibrium data of Ni(II) ions at 303, 313, and 323 K were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Langmuir isotherm provided a better fit to the equilibrium data andthe maximum monolayer biosorption capacity of the T. versicolor(rainbow) biomass for Ni(II) was 212.5 mg/g at pH 4.0. The calculated thermodynamic parameters, ΔG^○, ΔH^○, and ΔS^○, demonstrated that the biosorption of Ni(II) ions onto the T. versicolor (rainbow) biomass was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic at 303 ～ 323 K. The performance of the proposed fungal biosorbent was also compared with that of many other reported sorbents for Nickel(II) removal and it was observed that the proposed biosorbent is effective in terms of its high sorption capacity.     

Process optimization of batch biosorption of lead using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillius bulgaricus</Emphasis> in an aqueous phase system using response surface methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite rotatable design was used to investigate the effects of operating variable, mainly, pH, weight of biomass, and initial lead ion concentration on the lead adsorption capacity at ambient temperature using dried cells of Lactobacillius bulgaricus. Using RSM, quadratic polynomial equation was obtained for predicting the percent of lead ion removal. Analysis of variance showed that the effects of pH and weight of dried biomass were concluded to be the key factors influencing the capacity of lead ion removal. At pH lower than 2 (high acidic condition) and in alkaline condition, there is no significant biosorption. The optimum percent of lead ion removal was found at pH of 6.78, biomass concentration of 6.58 g/l and initial lead concentration 36.22 ppm. In this condition, percent of lead ion removal was 86.21%. This study showed RSM effectiveness for modeling of biosorption process.     

Biosorption and desorption of Nickel on oil cake: batch and column studies

Biosorption potential of mustard oil cake (MOC) for Ni(II) from aqueous medium was studied. Spectroscopic studies showed possible involvement of acidic (hydroxyl, carbonyl and carboxyl) groups in biosorption. Optimum biosorption was observed at pH 8. Contact time, reaction temperature, biosorbent dose and adsorbate concentration showed significant influence. Linear and non-linear isotherms comparison suggests applicability of Temkin model at 303 and 313 K and Freundlich model at 323 K. Kinetics studies revealed applicability of Pseudo-second-order model. The process was endothermic and spontaneous. Freundlich constant (n) and activation energy (E_a) values confirm physical nature of the process. The breakthrough and exhaustive capacities for 5 mg/L initial Ni(II) concentration were 0.25 and 4.5 mg/g, while for 10 mg/L initial Ni(II) concentration were 4.5 and 9.5 mg/g, respectively. Batch desorption studies showed maximum Ni(II) recovery in acidic medium. Regeneration studies by batch and column process confirmed reutilization of biomass without appreciable loss in biosorption.     

Biosorption of chromium(VI) by spent cyanobacterial biomass from a hydrogen fermentor using Box-Behnken model

The study explores utilization of waste cyanobacterial biomass of Nostoc linckia from a lab-scale hydrogen fermentor for the biosorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The biomass immobilized in alginate beads was used for removal of the metal in batch mode optimizing the process conditions adopting response surface methodology (RSM). Kinetic studies were done to get useful information on the rate of chromium adsorption onto the cyanobacterial biomass, which was found to follow pseudo second-order model. Four important process parameters including initial metal concentration (10-100 mg/L), pH (2-6), temperature (25-45 °C) and cyanobacterial dose (0.1-2.0 g) were optimized to obtain the best response of Cr(VI) removal using the statistical Box-Behnken design. The response surface data indicated maximum Cr(VI) biosorption at pH 2-4 with different initial concentrations of the metal in the aqueous solution. The biosorbent could remove 80-90% chromium from solutions with initial metal concentration of 10-55 mg/L. Involvement of the surface characteristics of the biomass was studied through its scanning electron micrographs and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis.     

Cadmium biosorption by Sphingomonas paucimobilis biomass

Among microorganisms isolated in Bangkok, the gram-negative bacterium Sphingomonas paucimobilis exhibited the greatest cadmium tolerance. It was able to survive in the medium containing cadmium as high as 200 mg/l. However, concentrations of cadmium at 25-200 mg/l inhibited its growth. The biosorption properties for cadmium of this bacterial biomass and the effects of environmental factors (i.e., biosorbent type, initial pH and biosorbent concentration) on the cadmium biosorption were explored. The results showed that the cadmium removal capacity of living cells was markedly higher than that of nonliving cells. Cadmium biosorption by S. paucimobilis biomass was also affected by the initial pH and biosorbent concentration.     

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.     

Activated carbon prepared from biomass as adsorbent: elimination of Ni(II) from aqueous solution.

Activated carbon (AC) prepared from waste Parthenium was used to eliminate Ni(lI) from aqueous solution by adsorption. Batch mode adsorption experiments are carried out, by varying contact time, metal ion concentration, carbon concentration, pH and desorption to assess kinetic and equilibrium parameters. They allowed initial adsorption coefficient, adsorption rate constant and maximum adsorption capacities to be computed. The adsorption data were modeled by using both Langmuir and Freundlich classical adsorption isotherms. The adsorption capacity (Q0) calculated from the Langmuir isotherm was 54.35 mg Ni(II)/g of AC at initial pH of 5.0 and 20 degrees C, for the particle size 250-500 microm. Increase in pH from 2 to 10 increased percent removal of metal ion. The regeneration by HCl of Ni(II)-saturated carbon by HCl, allowed suggestion of an adsorption mechanism by ion-exchange between metal ion and H+ ions on the AC surfaces. Quantitative recovery of Ni(II) was possible with HCl.     

Biosorption of Ni, Cr and Cd by metal tolerant Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. using single and multi-metal solution

Fungi including Aspergillus and Penicillium, resistant to Ni2+, Cd2+, and Cr6+ were isolated from soil receiving long-term application of municipal wastewater mix with untreated industrial effluents of Aligarh, India. Metal tolerance in term of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 125-550 microg/ml for Cd, 300-850 microg/ml for Ni and 300-600 microg/ml for Cr against test fungi. Two isolates, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. were tested for their Cr, Ni and Cd biosorption potential using alkali treated, dried and powdered mycelium. Biosorption experiment was conducted in 100 ml of solution at three initial metal concentrations i.e., 2, 4 and 6 mM with contact time (18 hr) and pretreated fungal biomass (0.1g) at 25 degrees C. Biosorption of all metals was found higher at 4 mM initial metal concentration as compared to biosorption at 2 and 6 mM concentrations. At 4 mM initial metal concentration, chromium biosorption was 18.05 and 19.3 mg/g of Aspergillus and Penicillium biomasses, respectively. Similarly, biosorption of Cd and Ni ions was also maximum at 4 mM initial metal concentration by Aspergillus (19.4 mg/g for Cd and 25.05 mg/g of biomass for Ni) and Penicillium (18.6 mg/g for Cd and 17.9 mg/g of biomass for Ni). In general, biosorption of metal was influenced by initial metal concentration and type of the test fungi. The results indicated that fungi of metal contaminated soil have high level of metal tolerance and biosorption properties.     

Kinetics of batch ethanol fermentation of cheese-whey powder (CWP) solution as function of substrate and yeast concentrations

A lactose utilizing yeast strain, Kluyveromyces marxianus DSMZ-7239 was used for ethanol formation from cheese-whey powder (CWP) solution in batch experiments. Effects of initial substrate (CWP) and yeast concentrations on the rate and extent of ethanol formation were investigated. The initial pH and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) was kept at 5 and -250 mV, respectively. The rate and extent of ethanol formation increased with increasing CWP concentration up to 156 g l(-1) (75 g l(-1) sugar) and then decreased for larger CWP concentrations due to substrate inhibition at high sugar concentrations. The ethanol yield coefficient was also maximum (0.54 g EtOH/g sugar) and equal to the theoretical yield at CWP concentration of 156 g l(-1). The growth yield coefficient was found to be Y(x/s)=1.2+/-0.1g biomass g sugar(-1). The rate of sugar utilization and ethanol formation also increased linearly with increasing initial biomass concentrations. A kinetic model describing the rate of sugar utilization and substrate inhibition as function of the initial substrate and the biomass concentrations was developed. The kinetic constants were determined using the experimental data. Model predictions of sugar utilization rates were in good agreement with the experimental data. The results indicated that the initial sugar concentration should be below 75 g l(-1) (CWP<156 g l(-1)) and the initial biomass should be above 850 mg l(-1) to obtain high rates and yields of ethanol formation and to avoid substrate inhibition.     

Production of biomass and ligninolytic enzymes by Pleurotus ostreatus in submerged culture.

The production of biomass and ligninolytic enzymes by Pleurotus ostreatus was analysed in synthetic medium with yeast extract and different glucose concentrations (0.5 - 20 g/l), at different pH (3.5-6.5) and incubation temperatures (23-32 degrees C). The best culture condition were: initial glucose concentration of 5 g/l, initial pH between 5.5-6.5 and incubation temperature between 26-29 degrees C. The saturation constant for glucose (Ks) was 1.75 g/l. The biomass concentration reached 8.6 g/l with a glucose addition of 20.0 g/l to the culture medium. The control of pH allowed an increment of 0.5 g/l of biomass concentration. The birreactor produced pellets with a homogeneous distribution of diameter size of 3.4 -/+ 0.2 mm. Approximately, 307 U/l of laccase and 0.41 U/l of manganese peroxidase were obtained in extracellular liquid medium and 0.015 U/g of laccase and 0.809 U/g of manganese peroxidase were obtained in solid substrate. Lignin peroxidase activity was not detected at any condition.