Environmental Biotechnology

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 10 No. 1, Issue of January 15, 2007
© 2007 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received August 7, 2006 / Accepted October 5, 2006
DOI: 10.2225/vol10-issue1-fulltext-13  
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Lead biosorption onto waste beer yeast by-product, a means to decontaminate effluent generated from battery manufacturing industry

Krishnakumar Parvathi
Centre For Environmental Studies
Anna University
Chennai 600 025
Tamilnadu, India
Tel: 91 44 22301283
Fax: 91 44 22354717
E-mail: nag.np@hotmail.com

Ramachandramurthy Nagendran*
Centre For Environmental Studies
Anna University
Chennai 600 025
Tamilnadu, India
Tel: 91 44 22301283
Fax: 91 44 22354717
E-mail: nag.np@hotmail.com

Radhakrishnan Nareshkumar
Centre For Environmental Studies
Anna University
Chennai 600 025
Tamilnadu, India
Tel: 91 44 22301283
Fax: 91 44 22354717
E-mail: nag.np@hotmail.com

*Corresponding author

Financial support: Financial assistance from the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India is acknowledged.

Keywords: biosorption, electrostatic attraction, Freundlich, Langmuir, functional group, lead, yeast.

Abstract
Full Text

This paper projects the potential of waste beer yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in biosorbing lead from battery manufacturing industrial effluent. Experiments were carried out as a function of pH, biosorbent concentration, lead concentration and agitation speed. Specific lead uptake of 2.34 mg/g was recorded and the data gave good fits for Freundlich and Langmuir models with K f and Q max values of 0.5149 and 55.71 mg/g. The roles played by amines, carboxylic acids, phosphates, sulfhydryl group and lipids in lead biosorption were studied. Electrostatic attraction may be the mechanism of biosorption. The extent of contribution of the functional groups and lipids to lead biosorption was in the order: carboxylic acids > lipids > amines > phosphates. Blocking of sulfhydryl group did not have any significant effect on lead uptake.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network
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