A Fundamental Study on the Adsorption Capacity of Heavy Metals by Earthworms Cast

지렁이 분변토의 중금속흡착능에 관한 기초연구

The purpose of this study is the evaluation of adsorption capacity of casts for heavy metals comparing with the activated carbon. The casts was obtained from vermicomposting of the mixed organic sludges which were generated from the treatment facilities for leather wastewater and cattle wastewater. The physico-chemical characteristics of cast was investigated. Also, the batch adsorption experiments of cast and activated carbon for heavy metals were carried out, and the results were analyzed by Freundlich isotherm. The buffering capacity to the acidic wastewater was founded in the cast, and the cation exchange capacity of cast impling adsorption capacity for soluble substances was evaluated as about 55me/100g. Those were implied that the cast have a large potential as a good adsorbent for soluble pollutants in wastewater. From the results of batch experiments, the removal efficiencies of tested various heavy metals including Pb, Cu, Cd, and Cr were very high value as 89-98% for the activated car-bon, and 80~95% for the casts except for Zn. The adsorption equilibriums for the two materials were achieved within 90 minutes. The order of preferable metals in the adsorption was found to be Pb>Cu>Cd>Cr>Zn on the cast and to be Pb>Cd>Cu>Cr>Zn on the activated carbon, respectively. From the above results, it might be con-cluded that cast is effectively available as a good adsorbent to treating the heavy metal bearing wastewater.

본 연구에서는 중금속에 대한 지렁이 분변토의 흡착특성을 활성탄과 비교함으로서 중금속 함유폐수처리를 위한 경제적인 흡착제로서 활용가능성을 평가하기 위한 연구를 수행하였다. 지렁이를 이용한 퇴비화에 사용된 슬러지는 피혁슬러지와 우분슬러지를 7:3으로 혼합하여 부숙시킨 것을 사용하였다. 분변토의 물리화학적 특성을 평가하기 위한 용출실험으로부터 분변토는 약간의 pH의 완충능력과 55.1me/100g의 양이온교환능력을 가지는 것으로 평가되었다. 분변토의 중금속에 대한 흡착평형시간은 90분 이내로서 활성탄과 큰 차이가 없었으며, Pb, Cu, Cd, Cr, Zn의 제거효율은 활성탄이 각각 98%, 93%, 94%, 89%, 82%, 분변토는 95%, 90%, 88%, 80%, 66%로 평가되었다. 흡착제 양의 변화에 따른 흡착특성을 Freundlich 등온 흡착식으로 해석한 결과 1/n값은 분변토의 경우 0.28~0.74로서 활성탄의 0.29~0.56에 근접하는 결과를 얻을 수 있었으며, 이 결과로부터 분변토를 경제적인 중금속흡착제로 사용 가능한 것으로 평가되었다. 또한, 분변토의 중금속 성분별 흡착선호성향을 활성탄과 비교 분석한 결과 분변토는 Pb>Cu>Cd>Cr>Zn의 순이었으며, 활성탄은 Pb>Cd>Cu>Cr>Zn의 순이었다.