• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 1998

This study examines the effect of pH, temperature, metal ion concentration and culture density on metal biosorption by the nuisance cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. Ni biosorption was higher at pH 9.2 than at neutral and acidic pH. In contrast the biosorption of Cu and Zn was maximum at pH 7.0. However, biosorption of Zn was difficult to measure at pH values 9.2 and 10.5, owing to the formation of insoluble complexes. All the test metals (Cu, Zn, and Ni) showed maximum biosorption rate at low culture densities of 40 mg dry wt $1^{-1}$. The biosorption of Cu, Zn, and Ni was maximum at $40^{\circ}C$. However, no worthwhile difference in Zn and Ni sorption was noticed at 4 and $29^{\circ}C$ as compared to $40^{\circ}C$. Of these three metals used Microcystis showed a greater binding capacity ($K_{f}$ value=0.84, Freundlich adsorbent capacity) and accelerated biosorption rate for Cu under various environmental conditions. Fitness of mathematical models on metal biosorption by Microcystis confirmed that the biological materials behave in the same way as physical materials. These results suggest that before using a biosorbent for metal recovery, the environmental requirements of the biosorbent must be ascertained.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.376-385
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• 2001

Considerable attention has been focused in recent years upon the field of biosorption for the removal of metal ions from aqeous effluents. Compared to other technologies, the advan-tages of biosortption are the high purity of the treated waste water and the cheap raw material. Really, the first major challenge for the biosorption field is to select the most promising types of biomass. Abundant biomass types either generated as a waste by-product of large-scale industrial fermentations particularly fungi or certain metal-binding seaweeds have gained importance in re-cent years due to their natural occurrence, low cost and, of course good performance in metal biosorption. Industrial solutions commonly contain multimetal systems or several organic and in organic substances that form complexes with metals at relatively high stability forming a very complex environment. When several components are present, interference and competition phe-nomena for sorption sites occur and lead to a more complex mathematical formulation of the process. The most optimal configuration for continuous flow-biosorption seems to the packed-bed column which gets gradually from the feed to the solution exit end. Owing to the com-petitive ion exchange taking place in the column, one or more of the metals present even at trace levels may overshot the acceptable limit in the column effluent before the breakthrough point of the trargeted metal. Occurrence of 'overshoot's and impact on havey metal removal has not been analyzed enough. New trends in biosorption are discussed in this review.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2015

The biosorption process has been established as characteristics of dead biomasses of both cellulosic and microbial origin to bind metal ion pollutants from aqueous suspension. The high effectiveness of this process even at low metal concentration, similarity to ion exchange treatment process, but cheaper and greener alternative to conventional techniques have resulted in a mature biosorption technology. Yet its adoption to large scale industrial wastewaters treatment has still been a distant reality. The purpose of this review is to make in-depth analyses of the various aspects of the biosorption technology, staring from the various biosorbents used till date and the various factors affecting the process. The design of better biosorbents for improving their physico-chemical features as well as enhancing their biosorption characteristics has been discussed. Better economic value of the biosorption technology is related to the repeated reuse of the biosorbent with minimum loss of efficiency. In this context desorption of the metal pollutants as well as regeneration of the biosorbent has been discussed in detail. Various inhibitions including the multi mechanistic role of the biosorption technology has been identified which have played a contributory role to its non-commercialization.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2011

Bacillus species have been involved in metal association as biosorbents, but there is not a clear understanding of this chelating property. In order to evaluate this metal chelating capacity, cultures and spores from Grampositive bacteria of species either able or unable to produce surface layer proteins (S-layers) were analyzed for their capacity of copper biosorption. Only those endowed of S-layers, like Bacillus sphaericus and B. thuringiensis, showed a significant biosorption capacity. This capacity (nearly 50%) was retained after heating of cultures, thus supporting that structural elements of the envelopes are responsible for such activity. Purified S-layers from two Bacillus sphaericus strains had the ability to biosorb copper. Copper biosorption parameters were determined for strain B. sphaericus 2362, and after analyses by means of the Langmuir model, the affinity and capacity were shown to be comparable to other bacterial biosorbents. A competitive effect of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$, but not of $Cd^{2+}$, was also observed, thus indicating that other cations may be biosorbed by this protein. Spores that have been shown to be proficient for copper biosorption were further analyzed for the presence of S-layer content. The retention of S-layers by these spores was clearly observed, and after extensive treatment to eliminate the S-layers, the biosorption capacity of these spores was significantly reduced. For the first time, a direct correlation between S-layer protein content and metal biosorption capacity is shown. This capacity is linked to the retention of S-layer proteins attached to Bacillus spores and cells.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 1997

Heavy metal adsorption by microbial cells is an alternative to conventional methods of heavy metal removal and recovery from metal-bearing wastewater The waste Sac-chuomyces cerevisiae is an inexpensive, relatively available source of biomass for heavy metal biosorption. Biosorption was investigated by free and immobilized-S. cerevisiae. The order of biosorption capacity was Pb>Cu>Cd with batch system. The biosorption parameters had been determined for Pb with free , cells according to the Freundlich and Langmuir model. It was found that the data fitted reasonably well to the Freundlich model. The selective uptake of immobilized-S. cerevisiae was observed when all the metal ions were dissolved in a mixed metals solution(Pb, Cu, Cr and Cd). The biosorption of mixed metals solution by immobilized-cell was studied in packed bed reactor. The Pb uptake was Investigated in particular, as it represents one of the most widely distributed heavy metals in water. We also tested the desorption of Pb from immobilized-cell by us- ing HCI, $H_2SO_4$ and EDTA.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.964-972
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• 2001

The kinetics of copper ion biosorption by Pseudomonas stutzeri cells immobilized in alginate was investigated. During the first few minutes of the metal uptake, the copper biosorption was rapid and then became progressively slower until an equilibium was rapid, and then became progressively slower until an equilibrium was reached. At a biomass concentration of 100g/l, the copper biosorption reaction reached approximately 90% of the equilibrium position within 30 min. A Freundich-type adsorption isotherm model was constructed based on kinetics with different amounts of biomass. When using this model, the experimental values only agreed well with the predicted values in a solution containing less than 200 mg/l Cu(II). Desorption of the bound copper ions was achieved using electrolytic solutions of HCl, $H_2SO_4$, EDTA, and NTA (0.1 or 0.5 M). Metal desorption with 0.1 M NTA allowed the reuse of the biosorbent for at least ten consecutive biosorption/desorption cycles, without an apparent decrease in its metal biosorption capability. A packed-bed column reactor of the immobilized biomass removed approximately 95% of the metal in the first 30 liter of wastewater [containing 100 mg/l Cu(II)] delivered at a rate of 20 L/day, and, thereafter, the rate gradually decreased.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.112-122
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• 1998

In recent years the accumulation of heavy metals in microorganisms, the biosorption has received much attention because of various environmental application. We have been to research the biosorption characteristics using algae, Spirulina, for the removal of heavy metal ions in industrial and polluted waters. In the adsorption of single heavy metal ions, the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 10min., and optimum pH and reaction temperature were 4.5-5 and 30-35$\circ $C, respectively. Under the above conditions, the maximum amounts of Pb, Cu, and Cd adsorbed to the unit weight of Spirulina were 107.6mg/g, 78.0mg/g, and 65.6mg/g, and three values were 1.45, 1.56, and 1.26 times higher than those adsorbed to the unit weight of activated carbon under same conditions. The adsorption kinetics of Pb, Cu, and Cd were fitted very well to the Freundlich isotherm and BET isotherm. Biosorption experiments in single ion solutions and binary ions solutions showed higher removal efficiency in the single ion solutions than in binary ions solutions.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.125-132
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• 2012

The removal of Cd(II) and Cu(II) from aqueous solution by an agricultural solid waste biomass prepared from Moringa oleifera bark (MOB) was investigated. The biosorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Furthermore, the effect of initial pH, contact time, biosorbent dosage, initial metal ion concentration and temperature on the biosorption of Cd(II) and Cu(II) were studied using the batch sorption technique. Kinetic studies indicated that the biosorption process of the metal ions followed the pseudo-second order model. The biosorption data was analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin isotherm models. Based on the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum biosorption capacities for Cd(II) and Cu(II) onto MOB were 39.41 and 36.59 mg/g at 323 K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, Gibbs free energy (${\Delta}G^o$), enthalpy (${\Delta}H^o$), and entropy (${\Delta}S^o$) changes, were also calculated, and the values indicated that the biosorption process was endothermic, spontaneous and feasible in the temperature range of 303-323 K. It was concluded that MOB powder can be used as an effective, low cost, and environmentally friendly biosorbent for the removal of Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.370-378
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• 2005

The characteristics of heavy metal biosorption on the seaweeds were investigated to develop a biological treatment technology for wastewater polluted with heavy metals. The heavy metal biosorption on seaweeds ranked in the tallowing order: U. pinnatifida$\geq$E. stolonifera$\geq$Laminaria sp.>G. amansii. The Pb was biosorbed in the range of $93{\sim}99%$, and the Cu and Cd were biosorbed in the range of $70{\sim}80%$ at the concentration of the heavy metal of $100mg/{\ell}$ respectively. The seaweed which was pretreated with $CaCl_2$ solution improved the biosorption of the heavy metals. The temperature and pH didn't affect the biosorption of heavy metals. The Langmuir isotherm reasonably fit the data of heavy metal biosorption compared to the Freundlich isotherm. The affinity of metals on the biosorption ranked in the following order: Pb>Zn>Cu>Cd. The biosorption efficiency of the heavy metals on the U. pinnatifida decreased in the multi-component rather than the single component. The heavy metals adsorbed on the U. pinnatifida were recovered using 0.3%-NTA. U. pinnatifida among the seaweed used in this work showed the best performance for the biosorption of the heavy metals.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.456-461
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• 2022

Heavy metal pollution is caused due to anthropogenic activities and is considered as a serious environmental problem which endangers human health and environment. The present study deals with biosorption, an eco-friendly technique for the removal of heavy metal Zn(II) from aqueous medium. Various natural materials have been explored for the uptake of metal ions, where most of them are physically or chemically enhanced. Dry cowdung powder (DCP) has been utilized as a low-cost, environmentally friendly humiresin without any pre-treatment, thus demonstrating the concept of Green Chemistry. Batch biosorption studies using ⁶⁵Zn(II) tracer were performed and the impact of different experimental parameters was studied. Results revealed that at pH 6, 94 ± 2% of Zn(II) was effectively biosorbed in 5 min, at 303 K. The process was spontaneous and exothermic, following pseudo-second-order reaction. The mechanism of heavy metal biosorption employing green adsorbent was therefore elucidated in order to determine the optimal method for removing Zn(II) ions. DCP has a lot of potential in the wastewater treatment industry, as seen by its ability to meet 3A's affordability, adaptability, and acceptability criteria. As a result, DCP emerges as one of the most promising challengers for green chemistry and the zero-waste idea.