Resumen de Study of Ag(I) sorption on biomass of Aspergillus niger O-5 chemically treated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide
Y. Zabala Martínez, Mario Simeón Pomares Alfonso, A. Govin Sanjudo, Margarita Villanueva Tagle
In the present paper, the biosorption process of Ag(I) in Aspergillus niger O-5 dead biomass was studied. The dead biomass was produced at Microbial Biotechnology Lab, Biology Faculty, University of Havana. The effect of the chemical treatment with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and of the operating parameters (pH, contact time, sorbent mass, sample volume and stirring rate) on the sorption capacity of Ag(I) was investigated. The most suitable values for these parameters were chosen. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherms were appropriate for the description of the sorption process. Interferences on the sorption process due to Cu(II) and Fe(III) were also examined. The developed procedure was applied to a real wastewater sample from an electroplating plant. Concentration of Ag(I) was reduced below the maximum permissible. With a similar efficiency Fe(III) concentration was reduced as well. For the first time, the biomass of Aspergillus niger treated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide is used for removing and recovering Ag from wastewater. The effectiveness of the process is demonstrated.
