Sorption Performance of Live and Heat-Inactivated Loofa-Immobilized Phanerochaete chrysosporium in Mercury Removal from Aqueous Solution

The sorption behavior of loofa-immobilized Phanerochaete chrysosporium mycelia in two forms, Live (L) and Heat-Inactivated (HIA), was studied for the removal of Hg۲+ ions from aqueous solution. Using the Langmuir isotherm, the two key parameters for the sorption performance, qm and the coefficient b, were obtained; the qm values for Hg۲+ ions were ۷۲.۴۶ mg/g and ۹۲.۵۹ mg/g and the b coefficients were ۰.۰۷۳ L/mg and ۰.۱۱۴ L/mg for the L and HIA biosorbents, respectively. Using the Freundlich isotherm, the values of kF were determined as ۱۳.۲۸ and ۲۱.۳۰, and the values of the coefficient n were ۳.۲۲ and ۳.۵۱ for the L and HIA biosorbents, respectively. Although the biosorption data were well fitted by both the Langmuir and Freundlich models, the Langmuir isotherm gave a better fit, with a higher correlation coefficient than the Freundlich model. Moreover, the essential characteristic of the Langmuir isotherm model, described as the separation factor, was indicative of the favorable adsorption of Hg۲+ onto both of the test biosorbents (۰۲ads were ۱.۱۶×۱۰-۳ g/mg·min and ۱.۰۸×۱۰-۳ g/mg·min for the L and HIA biosorbents, respectively. Regenerating the biosorbents was possible using hydrochloric acid to leach the sequestered mercury ions, providing an easy way to reduce the cost of the process. The prevailing criteria in the industrial selection and use of biosorbents were satisfactorily met by this system.

کلیدواژه ها:

Phanerochaete chrysosporium ، Loofa sponge ، Immobilization ، Mercury ions ، Langmuir adsorption isotherm ، Biosorption kinetics