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Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering >> 2014, Volume 8, Issue 4 doi: 10.1007/s11705-014-1456-4

The biosorption of Cr(VI) ions by dried biomass obtained from a chromium-resistant bacterium

1. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, Ministry of Education (BGEG), School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.2. Schools of Earth Environment and Water Resources, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China

Accepted: 2014-12-17 Available online: 2015-01-14

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Abstract

The biosorption potential of many different kinds of biomaterials has been widely studied. However, there is little data on the biosorption mechanism of Cr(VI) by dried biomass. So the bio-removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions was investigated using dried biomass from a chromium-resistant bacterium. The bacterium was isolated from dewatered sludge samples that were obtained from a sewage treatment plant. Equilibrium and kinetic experiments were performed at different metal concentrations, pH values, and biosorbents dosages. The biomass was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The functional groups in the biomass which may play a role in the biosorption process were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The biosorption process was found to be highly pH dependent and the optimum pH for the adsorption of Cr(VI) was 2.0±0.3 at 30±2 °C. The experimental data fit well with Langmuir and Freundlich models as well as a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The mechanism for the biosorption was also studied by fitting the kinetic data with an intra-particle diffusion model and a Boyd plot. External mass transfer was found to be the rate-determining step for the adsorption process. Biosorption could be an alternative mechanism besides bio-oxidation and bio-reduction for the bioremediation of heavy metals.

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