EJB Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN:
0717-3458 | Vol. 5 No. 2, Issue of August 15, 2002 |
© 2002 by Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile
| Received November 7, 2001 / Accepted June 17, 2002 |
Biosorption of chromium(III)
by Sargassum sp. biomass
Eneida Sala Cossich*
Departamento de Engenharia
Química
Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Av. Colombo 5790
CEP 87020 900 Maringá Pr
Brasil
Tel: 55 44 261 4323
Fax: 55 44 263 3440
E-mail: eneida@deq.uem.br
Célia
Regina Granhen Tavares
Departamento de Engenharia Química
Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Av. Colombo 5790
CEP 87020 900 Maringá Pr
Brasil
Tel: 55 44 261 4323
Fax: 55 44 263 3440
E-mail: celia@deq.uem.br
Teresa
Massako Kakuta Ravagnani
Departamento de Engenharia de Processos Químicos
Universidade Estadual Campinas
Caixa Postal 6066
CEP 13081 970 Campinas
Sao Paulo, Brasil
Tel: 55 19 788 7621
E-mail: kakuta@desq.feq.unicamp.br
* Corresponding
author
Financial support: Coordenação
de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
Keywords:
chromium removal, heavy metal, Langmuir model.
Chromium is
present in different types of industrial effluents, being responsible
for environmental pollution. Traditionally, the chromium removal is
made by chemical precipitation. However, this method is not completely
feasible to reduce the chromium concentration to levels as low as
required by environmental legislation. Biosorption is a process in
which solids of natural origin are employed for binding heavy metals.
It is a promising alternative method to treat industrial effluents,
mainly because of its low cost and high metal binding capacity. In
this work the chromium biosorption process by Sargassum sp. seaweed
biomass is studied. Sargassum sp. seaweed, which is abundant
in the Brazilian coast, has been utilized with and without milling.
The work considered the determination of chromium-biomass equilibrium
data in batch system. These studies were carried out in order to determine
some operational parameters of chromium sorption such as the time
required for the metal-biosorbent equilibrium, the effects of biomass
size, pH and temperature. The results showed that pH has an important
effect on chromium biosorption capacity. The biosorbent size did not
affect chromium biosorption rate and capacity.
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