• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.152-163
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• 2016

Present study investigates the potential of cassava peel and rubber tree bark for the removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solution. Removal efficiency of more than 99% was obtained during the kinetic adsorption experiments with dosage of 3.5 g/L for cassava peel and 8 g/L for rubber tree bark. By comparing popular isotherm models and kinetic models for evaluating the kinetics of mass transfer, it was observed that Redlich-Peterson model and Langmuir model fitted well ($R^2$ > 0.99) resulting in maximum adsorption capacity as 79.37 mg/g and 43.86 mg/g for cassava peel and rubber tree bark respectively. Validation of pseudo-second order model and Elovich model indicated the possibility of chemisorption being the rate limiting step. The multi-linearity in the diffusion model was further addressed using multi-sites models (two-site series interface (TSSI) and two-site parallel interface (TSPI) models). Considering the influence of interface properties on the kinetic nature of sorption, TSSI model resulted in low mass transfer rate (5% for cassava peel and 10% for rubber tree bark) compared to TSPI model. The study highlights the employability of two-site sorption model for simultaneous representation of different stages of kinetic sorption for finding the rate-limiting process, compared to the separate equilibrium and kinetic modeling attempts.

• Carbon letters
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• v.20
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• pp.10-18
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• 2016

Nanoporous carbon structures were synthesized by pyrolysis of grass as carbon precursor. The synthesized carbon has high surface area and pore volume. The carbon products were acid functionalized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, transmission electron microscopy, and Energy Dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Acid functionalized nanoporous carbon was explored for use in removal of toxic Cr(VI) ions from aqueous media. An adsorption study was done as a function of initial concentration, pH, contact time, temperature, and interfering ions. The experimental equilibrium data fits well to Langmuir isotherm model with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 35.335 mg/g. The results indicated that removal obeys a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and that equilibrium was reached in 10 min. A desorption study was done using NaOH. The results of the present study imply that acid functionalized nanoporous carbon synthesized from grass is an efficient, renewable, cost-effective adsorbent material for removal of hexavalent chromium due to its faster removal rate and reusability.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.689-698
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• 2007

Mesoporous silicas for heavy metals adsorption were prepared by co-condensation of surfactant as a template and Ludox HS-40 as a silica precursor. Various mesoporous silicas with the introduction of chelating ligands (mercaptopropyl and aminopropyl groups) were synthesized to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The surface modification was conducted with a co-condensation process using the sequential or simultaneous addition of mesoporous silica and high concentration of the organosilane(3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane). These materials have been characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, SEM and TEM analysis. Adsorbents synthesized with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane shows a high loading capacity for Hg(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and anion Cr(VI). Especially the one synthesized with a mercaptopropyl function has the highest adsorption capacity for Hg(II) and Cd(II).

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.55-60
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• 2011

The removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions onto modified holly sawdust was studied at varying initial hexavalent chromium concentrations, adsorbent doses, pHs and contact times. The removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions increased with increasing adsorbent dosage and contact time. The percentage of hexavalent chromium removed from the aqueous solutions decreased with increasing hexavalent chromium concentration and pH of the solution. The kinetics of the adsorption of hexavalent chromium onto modified holly sawdust was analyzed using pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order models. The pseudo second-order model described the kinetics of adsorption of hexavalent chromium. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used for modeling of the adsorption equilibrium data. The Langmuir isotherm model well described the equilibrium data for the removal of hexavalent chromium by modified holly sawdust. The obtained maximum adsorption capacity was 18.86 mg/g at pH 7. The results showed that modified holly sawdust can be used as a low cost adsorbent for the treatment of aqueous solutions containing chromium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.996-1004
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• 2020

Various genetically engineered microorganisms have been developed for the removal of heavy metal contaminants. Metal biosorption by whole-cell biosorbents can be enhanced by overproduction of metal-binding proteins/peptides in the cytoplasm or on the cell surface. However, few studies have compared the biosorption capacity of whole cells expressing intracellular or surface-displayed metal-adsorbing proteins. In this study, several constructs were prepared for expressing intracellular and surface-displayed Ochrobactrum tritici 5bvl1 ChrB in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells. E. coli cells expressing surface-displayed ChrB removed more Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions than cells with cytoplasmic ChrB under the same conditions. However, intracellular ChrB was less susceptible to variation in extracellular conditions (pH and ionic strength), and more effectively removed Cr(VI) from industrial wastewater than the surface-displayed ChrB at low pH (<3). An adsorption-desorption experiment demonstrated that compared with intracellular accumulation, cell-surface adsorption is reversible, which allows easy desorption of the adsorbed metal ions and regeneration of the bioadsorbent. In addition, an intrinsic ChrB protein fluorescence assay suggested that pH and salinity may influence the Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of ChrB-expressing E. coli cells by modulating the ChrB protein conformation. Although the characteristics of ChrB may not be universal for all metal-binding proteins, our study provides new insights into different engineering strategies for whole-cell biosorbents for removing heavy metals from industrial effluents.