Study of mango biomass (Mangifera indica L) as a cationic biosorbent

Unfertilizable fruiting buds of mango plant Mangifera Indica L, an agrowaste, is used as a biomass in this study. The efficacy of the biosorbent was tested for the removal of lead, copper, zinc and nickel metal ions using batch experiments in single and binary metal solution under controlled experimental conditions. It is found that metal sorption increases when the equilibrium metal concentration rises. At highest experimental solution concentration used (150 mg/L), the removal of metal ions were 82.76 % for lead, 76.60 % for copper, 63.35 % for zinc and 59.35 % for nickel while at lowest experimental solution concentration (25 mg/L), the removal of metal ions were 92.00% for lead, 86.84 % for copper, 83.96 % for zinc and 82.29 % for nickel. Biosorption equilibrium isotherms were plotted for metal uptake capacity (q) against residual metal concentrations (C_f) in solution. The q versus C_f sorption isotherm relationship was mathematically expressed by Langmuir and Freundlich models. The values of separation factor were between zero and one indicating favourable sorption for four tested metals on the biosorbent. The surface coverage values were approaching unity with increasing solution concentration indicating effectiveness of biosorbent under investigation. The non-living biomass of Mangifera indica L present comparable biosorption capacity for lead, copper, zinc and nickel metal ions with other types of biosorbent materials found in literature and is effective to remove metal ions from single metal solutions as well as in the presence of other co-ions with the main metal of solution.     

Biosorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species from aqueous solution by Cabomba caroliniana: kinetic and equilibrium study

This study reports the potential ability of non-living biomass of Cabomba caroliniana for biosorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Effects of contact time, biosorbent dosage, pH of the medium, initial concentration of metal ion and protonation of the biosorbent on heavy metal–biosorbent interactions were studied through batch sorption experiments. Cr(III) was sorbed more rapidly than Cr(VI) and the pH of the medium significantly affected the extent of biosorption of the two metal species differently. Surface titrations showed that the surface of the biosorbent is positively charged at low pH while it is negatively charged at pH higher than 4.0. Protonation of the biosorbent increased its capacity for removal of Cr(III), while decreasing that of Cr(VI). FT-IR spectra of the biosorbent confirmed the involvement of –OH groups on the biosorbent surface in the chromium removal process. Kinetic and equilibrium data showed that the sorption process of each chromium species followed pseudo second-order kinetic model and both Langmuir and Freundlich isothermal models. A possible mechanism for the biosorption of chromium species by non-living C. caroliniana is suggested.     

Heavy metal biosorption potential of a Malaysian Rhodophyte (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucheuma denticulatum</Emphasis>) from aqueous solutions

Biosorption is a promising technology for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastes and effluents. In the present study, biosorption of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺ and Zn²⁺ onto the dried biomass of Eucheuma denticulatum (Rhodophyte) was investigated as a function of solution pH, contact time, temperature and initial metal ion concentration. The experimental data were evaluated by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models. The sorption isotherm data followed Langmuir and Freundlich models, and the maximum Langmuir monolayer biosorption capacity was found as 81.97, 66.23, 51.02 and 43.48 mg g^?1 for Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺ and Zn²⁺, respectively. The sorption kinetic data followed pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models. Thermodynamic study revealed feasible, spontaneous and endothermic nature of the sorption process. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed the presence of amine, aliphatic, carboxylate, carboxyl, sulfonate and ether groups in the cell wall matrix involved in metal biosorption process. A total of nine error functions were applied in order to evaluate the best-fitting models. We strongly suggest the analysis of error functions for evaluating the fitness of the isotherm and kinetic models. The present work shows that E. denticulatum can be a promising low-cost biosorbent for removal of the experimental heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Further study is warranted to evaluate its potential for the removal of heavy metals from the real environment.     

Removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions using Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge

Adsorption and desorption of uranium(VI) from dilute aqueous solutions by Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge was studied in a batch mode. The potential of Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge to remove uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions has been investigated at different conditions of solution pH, metal ion concentrations, biosorbent dosage, biosorbent particle size, contact time and temperature. The results indicated that biosorption capacity of Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge was strongly affected by the medium pH, the biosorbent dose, metal ion concentrations and medium temperature. Reduction in particle size increased the biosorption capacity. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to biosorption data to determine the biosorption characteristics. An optimum biosorption capacity (57.75 mg/g) was achieved with pH 4.0, particle size 0.255 mm, biosorbent dose 0.5 g/100 mL and initial uranium(VI) concentration of 100 mg/L. Uranium(VI) removal by Eucalyptus citriodora distillation sludge was rapid, the equilibrium was established within 60 min and pseudo-second-order model was found to fit with the experimental data. The biosorption process decreased with an increase in the temperature indicating its exothermic nature. Pretreatments of biomass with different reagents affected its biosorption capacity. A significant increase (34 %) in biosorption capacity (83.25 mg/g) was observed with benzene treatment. Fourier-transform infra-red studies showed the involvement of carbonyl, carboxyl and amide groups in the biosorption process. The results indicated that sulfuric acid had the best effects as an eluent showing 93.24 % desorption capacity.     

Biosorption of metal dye from aqueous solution onto Agave americana (L.) fibres

In this research, a new low cost and abundant biosorbent; Agave americna (L.) fibres has been investigated in order to remove metal dye (Alpacide yellow) from aqueous solutions. In order to optimize the biosorption process, the effect of pH, temperature, contact time and initial solution concentration was investigated in batch system. The results indicated that acidic pH=2 was favourable for metal dye removal. The increase of temperature increases the velocity of the biosorption reaction. The biosorption kinetics of alpacide yellow were closer to the pseudo-second order than to the first order model for all concentrations and temperature. The calculated thermodynamic parameters such as dGG°, dGH° and dGS° indicated a spontaneous and endothermic biosorption process of metal dye onto Agave americana fibres. The equilibrium data were analysed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and showed a good fit with Langmuir model at lower temperatures and with Freundlich model at 50 °C.     

Lead and nickel biosorption with a fungal biomass isolated from metal mine drainage: Box–Behnken experimental design

The Pb(II) and Ni(II) biosorption of a fungal biomass isolated from mine drainage of metal-processing industries in Balya (Bal?kesir province, Turkey) was optimized using a response surface methodology by altering parameters such as pH, initial metal concentration, contact time and biosorbent dosage. This strain was shown to be highly similar to Penicillium sp. Furthermore, zeta potential measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed to understand the adsorption mechanism. A Box–Behnken design with 29 experiments was used to evaluate the interactions between independent variables. The results showed that the fungal biomass isolated from the metal mine drainage could have a significant environmental impact through the biosorption of Pb(II) and Ni(II) in waters polluted with heavy metals, particularly in the drainage from metal mines. The maximum removal values were 76 and 47 % at pH 4.5 for both Pb(II) and Ni(II), with 123 and 33 mg/L initial metal concentrations, 65 and 89 min contact times and 0.2 and 1.6 g/L biosorbent, respectively.     

Biosorption of 4-chlorophenol by dried anaerobic digested sludge: artificial neural network modeling,equilibrium isotherm,and kinetic study

In this study, dried anaerobic digested sludge (DADS) was utilized to remove 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) from aqueous solutions. Batch biosorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of physicochemical parameters such as pH, contact time, biosorbent dosage, and initial concentration. Artificial neural network (ANN) was then used to predict the removal efficiency of the process. The comparison between predicted and experimental results provided a high degree of determination coefficient (R² = 0.98), indicating that the model could predict the biosorption efficiency with reasonable accuracy. Biosorption data were successfully described by the Freundlich isotherm and pseudofirst-order model. The Weber–Morris kinetic model indicated that intraparticle diffusion was not the only rate-controlling step, and other mechanisms may be involved in the biosorption process. The optimum pH was detected to be 3 for DADS. By increasing contact time and biosorbent dosage, the removal efficiency of 4-CP increased. Also, a decreasing trend was observed when initial concentrations were increased. The findings suggested that the results predicted by ANN are very close to the experimental values, and DADS as an available adsorbent can efficiently remove 4-CP from aqueous solutions.     

Adsorption kinetics and intraparticulate diffusivities of Hg, As and Pb ions on unmodified and thiolated coconut fiber

As, Hg and Pb are examples of heavy metals which are present in different types of industrial effluents responsible for environmental pollution. Their removal is traditionally made by chemical precipitation, ion-exchange and so on. However, this is expensive and not completely feasible to reduce their concentrations to the levels as low as required by the environmental legislation. Biosorption is a process in which solids of natural origin are employed for binding the heavy metal. It is a promising alternative method to treat industrial effluents, mainly because of its low cost and high metal binding capacity. The kinetics was studied for biosorption experiments using coconut fiber for As (III), Hg (II) and Pb (II) ions adsorption. The specific surface area and surface charge density of the coconut fiber are 1.186×10²⁵ (m²/g) and 5.39 ×10²⁴ (meq/m²), respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be the highest for Pb (II) followed by Hg (II) and As (III). The modification of the adsorbent by thiolation affected the adsorption capacity. Equilibrium sorption was reached for the metal ions at about 60 min. The equilibrium constant and free energy of the adsorption at 30 °C were calculated. The mechanism of sorption was found to obey the particle-diffusion model. The kinetic studies showed that the sorption rates could be described by both pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order models. The pseudo second-order model showed a better fit with a rate constant value of 1.16 × 10^?4/min. for all three metal ions. Therefore, the results of this study show that coconut fiber, both modified and unmodified, is an efficient adsorbent for the removal of toxic and valuable metals from industrial effluents.     

Saraca indica leaf powder for decontamination of Pb: removal, recovery, adsorbent characterization and equilibrium modeling

The present study explores the effectiveness of Saraca indica leaf powder, a surplus low value agricultural waste, in removing Pb ions from aqueous solution. The influence of pH, biomass dosage, contact time, particle size and metal concentration on the removal process were investigated. Batch studies indicated that maximum biosorption capacity for Pb was 95.37% at the pH 6.5. The sorption process followed the first order rate kinetics. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted best to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Morphological changes observed in scanning electron micrographs of untreated and metal treated biomass confirmed the phenomenon of biosorption. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of native and exhausted leaf powder confirmed lead biomass interactions responsible for sorption. Acid regeneration was tried for several cycles with a view to recover the sorbed metal ion and also to restore the sorbent to its original state. The findings showed that Saraca indica leaf powder can easily be envisaged as a new, vibrant, low cost biosorbent for metal clean up operations.     

Removal of arsenic (V) from aqueous solutions using chemically modified sawdust of spruce (Picea abies): Kinetics and isotherm studies

Arsenic is a ubiquitous element in the environment and occurs naturally in both organic and inorganic forms. Under aerobic condition, the dominant form of arsenic in waters is arsenate, which is highly mobile and toxic. Arsenic poisoning from drinking water remains a serious world health issue. There are various standard methods for arsenic removal from drinking waters (coagulation, sorption, ion-exchange reactions or methods of reverse osmosis) and alternative methods, such as biosorption. Biosorption of arsenic from natural and model waters by native or chemically modified (with urea or ferric oxyhydroxides) plant biomass prepared from sawdust of Picea abies was studied. The kinetic of the adsorption process fitted well the pseudo second order adsorption model and equilibrium was achieved after 2 h. The results showed that biosorption was well described by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum biosorption capacity of the sawdust modified with ferric oxyhydroxides, evaluated by Langmuir adsorption model, was 9.259 mg/g, while the biosorption capacity of unmodified biosorbent or biosorbent modified with urea was negligible. The adsorption capacity is comparable to results published by other authors, suggesting that the prepared chemically modified biosorbent has potential in remediation of contaminated waters.     

Removal of heavy metal ions from drinking water by alginate-immobilised <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorella sorokiniana</Emphasis>

This paper investigates the potential of alginate-immobilised Chlorella sorokiniana for removing Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions from drinking water solutions. The effects of initial metal concentrations, contact times and temperatures on the biosorptions and removal efficiencies of the tested metals were investigated at initial pH values of 5, and pH effects were studied within the range of 3–7. When studying the effects of initial metal concentrations, the highest experimental removal yields achieved for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions were 97.10, 50.94 and 64.61 %, respectively. The maximum biosorption capacities obtained by the Langmuir isotherm model for the biosorptions of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions by alginate-immobilised C. sorokiniana were found to be 179.90, 86.49 and 164.50 mg/g biosorbent, respectively. The experimental data followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. At an initial metal concentration of 25 mg/L, immobilised algae could be used in at least 5 successive biosorption–desorption cycles. SEM and EDS analyses revealed that the metals bonded to the biosorbent. Bi- and multi-metal systems of Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were investigated at initial metal concentrations of 30, 50 and 100 mg/L. The removal of Cd²⁺ as well as Ni²⁺ in such systems was negatively affected by the presence of Cu²⁺. The removal efficiency for Cu²⁺ in multi-metal systems decreased by 5–7 %, whilst in the cases of Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺ the efficiencies decreased by up to 30 %. Nevertheless, the results obtained show that alginate-immobilised C. sorokiniana can efficiently remove the metals tested from polluted drinking water sources.     

Sorptive flotation for metal ions recovery

In this study, the abstraction of nickel, copper and zinc ions from aqueous solutions has been investigated in a laboratory batch scale mode. A combined two-stage process is proposed as an alternative of the heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions. The first stage is the sorption of heavy metals onto non-living microorganisms followed by dispersed-air flotation of the loaded biomass. Three types of strains were used: Penicillium chrysogenum, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and Streptomyces rimosus. The main parameters studied were solution pH, biomass concentration, surfactant concentration and flocculant concentration. The biomass reuse after elution was also examined. Remediation is a possible application of flotation being cost-effective and with readily available equipment and know-how. The application of this process looks promising.     

NaOH-treated dead leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ficus racemosa</Emphasis> as an efficient biosorbent for Acid Blue 25 removal

A novel biosorbent synthesized from Ficus racemosa leaves based on the treatment using NaOH was applied for removal of Acid Blue 25 from aqueous solution. The synthesized biosorbent was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. NaOH treatment was demonstrated to remove lignin content from the biomass and to induce the development of significant pores. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of important operating parameters such as pH (range of 2–10), biosorbent dose (range of 1–10 g/L), contact time (range of 0–5 h), initial dye concentration (range of 50–400 mg/L) and temperature (range of 293–323 K) on the extent of removal of Acid Blue 25. The established optimum conditions were pH of 2, biosorbent dose of 4 g/L, contact time of 3 h and temperature of 323 K, yielding maximum removal of dye. Pseudo-second-order model was found to best fit the kinetic data. Langmuir and Temkin isotherm models were found to best fit the equilibrium data. The obtained thermodynamic parameters confirmed endothermic and spontaneous nature of adsorption. The study established the utility of novel biosorbent for removal of Acid Blue 25 with higher adsorption capacities (83.33 mg/g) as compared to the more commonly used adsorbents. Desorption-adsorption  studies conducted for seven cycles indicated potential reusability of synthesized biosorbent for the treatment of dye effluents.     

Application of the coconut fiber in radioactive liquid waste treatment

The treatment of radioactive liquid waste containing organic compounds was always a cause for concern to radioactive waste management facilities because the processes available are expensive and difficult to manage. Biosorption has been studied as a new process in simulated wastes as an alternative to treating them. Among the potential biomass, the coconut fiber has very attractive features that allow the removal of radionuclides using a low-cost biosorbent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of coconut fiber to remove uranium, americium, and cesium from real radioactive liquid organic waste. Experiments with the biosorption of these radionuclides in coconut fiber were made including (1) preparation, activation, and characterization of biomass and (2) biosorption assays. The biomass was tested in raw and activated form. Biosorption assays were performed, adding the biomass to real waste solutions. The solutions contain natural uranium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The contact times and the concentrations range were varied. The radioisotopes remaining concentration in the solutions was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and gamma spectrometry. The results were evaluated by maximum experimental sorption capacity and isotherm and kinetics ternary models. The highest sorption capacity was observed with the activated coconut fiber, with values of 2 mg/g of U (total), 70E?06 mg/g of Am-241 and 40E?09 mg/g of Cs-137. These results suggest that biosorption with activated coconut fiber can be applied in the treatment of radioactive liquid organic wastes containing uranium, americium-241, and cesium-137.     

Pb and Co removal from paint industries effluent using wood ash

The release of heavy metals into the environment is a worldwide major concern. Different studies have demonstrated that natural agents have a high removal capacity for divalent heavy metal ions. Wood ash is a natural adsorbent and, in comparison with others, has a very low price. In this study, the removal of heavy metals (Pb and Co) from Binalood paint industry (Kerman, Iran) effluent was investigated in batch condition. Pb and Co measurement in samples were done with atomic absorption equipment and test methods were adapted from standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. The effect of pH and the amount of adsorbent was determined and different adsorption isotherms were also obtained. This study shows that the adsorption process follows the adsorption Langmuir isotherm. The amount of wood ash has a great role in the adsorption rate and adsorption rate increased as wood ash increased. In the study, the reactions reached equilibrium in 3 h contact time. The maximum Pb removal efficiency was 96.1 % at pH 2 with a contact time of 3 h and 100 g/L wood ash and the maximum Co removal efficiency was 99 % at pH 2 with a contact time of 3 h and 100 g/L wood ash. According to the results, wood ash is recommended as a low cost and available adsorbent to remove Pb and Co from municipal and industrial wastewaters.     

Biosorption of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn from the wastewater by treated Azolla filiculoides with H2O2/MgCl2

The adsorption of heavy metals onto treated Azolla filiculoides by H₂O₂/MgCl₂, as a cosmopolitan free-floating waterfern, was investigated from aqueous solutions in the batch biosorption experiments. The maximum uptake capacities of the collected Azolla from rice field at the optimal conditions for Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn ions were approximately 228, 86, 62 and 48 mg/g (dry Azolla), respectively. On the other hand, the maximum uptake capacities of the collected Azolla from the Anzali International Wetland in the north part of Iran at the same conditions for these heavy metals were about 124, 58, 33 and 34 mg/g (dry Azolla), respectively. Such decrease of uptakes is due to the pollution of Anzali International Wetland, which reduces the capacity uptake of metals. The recovery of biosorbed heavy metals from the rice field Azolla was carried out by HCl and NaCl desorbents that the recovery of 64–86% and 51–72% was occurred, respectively.     

Removal of metal from acid mine drainage (AMD) by using natural zeolite of Nizarneshwar Hills of Western India

The mining industry faces stringent effluent discharge regulations and has acknowledged that it is necessary to look into innovative technologies to recycle considerable amount of effluent rather than discharging into surface water. Effluents from mines give rise to aesthetic unpleasantness. The focus of the investigations was to cope with more stringent effluent discharge regulations and to protect the ecosystem from harmful pollutants in the mine effluents. Copper is one of the heavy metal in the mine systems, which are known to be a harmful element. The present study has been undertaken to investigate a process that might remove Cu(II) from mine waste water by using natural zeolite, such as stilbite, and compared with synthetic resins like CSA-9 and CSA-609D. In this study, natural zeolite was used as a low-cost adsorbent to evaluate its ability to remove heavy metals from acid mine drainage. The zeolite used in this study is the natural clay mineral from the Nizarneshwar Hills of Western India. Three resins tested are CSA-9, natural zeolite–stilbite, and CSA-609D. Batch testing has been conducted to select effective ion-exchange resins for copper removal and to determine effective regenerants for regeneration of exhausted resins. All tests were conducted at bench scale and in batch mode. Three strong acid cation exchangers were evaluated to compare their metal removal capacities. The metal concentration in the effluent was reduced with all resins tested. It was found that, among all the three types of natural zeolite, stilbite shows the highest removal efficiency of copper in every parameter that is considered for evaluating the performance of resins.     

Response surface methodology for lead biosorption on Aspergillus terreus

A central composite face-centered design was used to study and to optimize lead biosorption from aqueous solution on Aspergillus terreus biomass. Four factors such as stirring speed, temperature, solution pH and biomass dose at different levels were studied.The hierarchical quadratic model were established by adding replicates at the central point and axial points to the initial full factorial design (2⁴). The percentage removal of lead was affected by biomass dose, pH, and interactions between pH and biomass dose, pH and stirring speed, pH and temperature. The hierarchical quadratic model described adequately the response surface based on the adjusted determination coefficient (R² _Adj= 0.97) and the adequate precision ratio (42.21). According to this model, the optimal conditions to remove lead completely from aqueous solutions (at initial lead concentration of 50 mg/L and solutions of 100 mL) with Aspergillus terreus were at pH 5.2, 50 °C, stirring speed of 102/min and a biomass dose of 139 mg.The response surface methodology can be used to determine the optimal conditions for metal adsorption on several adsorbents. In addition, results reported in this research demonstrated the feasibility of employing A. terreus as biosorbent for lead removal.     

Removal of Lead, Copper, Zinc and Cadmium from Water Using Phosphate Rock

Removal of Pb2 ,Cu~(2 ),Zn~(2 )and Cd~(2 )from aqueous solutions by sorption on a natural phosphate rock(FAP)was investigated.The effects of the contact time and initial metal concentration were examined in the batch method.The percentage sorption of heavy metals from solution ranges generally between 50% and 99%.The amount of sorbed metal ions follows the order Cu>Pb>Cd>Zn. Heavy metal immobilization was attributed to both surface complexation of metal ions on the surface of FAP grains and partial dissolution and precipitation of a heavy metal-containing phosphate.The very low desorption ratio of heavy metals further supports the effectiveness of FAP as an alternative and low-cost material to remove toxic Pb~(2 ),Cu~(2 ),Zn~(2 )and Cd~(2 )from polluted waters.     

Biotechnological advances in bioremediation of heavy metals contaminated ecosystems: an overview with special reference to phytoremediation

The ability of heavy metals bioaccumulation to cause toxicity in biological systems—human, animals, microorganisms and plants—is an important issue for environmental health and safety. Recent biotechnological approaches for bioremediation include biomineralization (mineral synthesis by living organisms or biomaterials), biosorption (dead microbial and renewable agricultural biomass), phytostabilization (immobilization in plant roots), hyperaccumulation (exceptional metal concentration in plant shoots), dendroremediation (growing trees in polluted soils), biostimulation (stimulating living microbial population), rhizoremediation (plant and microbe), mycoremediation (stimulating living fungi/mycelial ultrafiltration), cyanoremediation (stimulating algal mass for remediation) and genoremediation (stimulating gene for remediation process). The adequate restoration of the environment requires cooperation, integration and assimilation of such biotechnological advances along with traditional and ethical wisdom to unravel the mystery of nature in the emerging field of bioremediation. This review highlights better understanding of the problems associated with the toxicity of heavy metals to the contaminated ecosystems and their viable, sustainable and eco-friendly bioremediation technologies, especially the mechanisms of phytoremediation of heavy metals along with some case studies in India and abroad. However, the challenges (biosafety assessment and genetic pollution) involved in adopting the new initiatives for cleaning-up the heavy metals-contaminated ecosystems from both ecological and greener point of view must not be ignored.