Efficiency of extremophilic microbial mats for removing Pb(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 28; no. 38; pp. 53365 - 53378
• Main Authors: Al-Qahtani, Khairia M., Ali, Mohamed H. H., Abdelkarim, Mohamad S., Al-Afify, Afify D. G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aquatic Pollution; Aqueous solutions; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; biosorbents; Copper; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; electron microscopy; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Fourier transforms; Infrared spectroscopy; Ion concentration; Ions; Lead; Metal concentrations; Metal ions; Microbial mats; Microorganisms; Nickel; Research Article; Scanning electron microscopy; surface area; Surface chemistry; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Lead; Nickel; Biosorption; Copper; Extreme habitat; Cyanobacterial mat
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-14571-5

Two different extremophilic films were used as natural biosorbents to remove Cu(II), Ni(II), and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. Surface area, scanning electron microscopy imaging, and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the surfaces of the biosorbents. The results indicated high affinity of the biosorbents to remove Pb(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II), with adsorption rates ranging from 73.6 to 100% for both biosorbents. The biosorbents succeed in removing the metal ions from aqueous mixtures in the following order: Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II). The maximum removal rates of metal ions were achieved at pH 6, contact time of 150 min, biosorbent dose of 2.5 g/L, and metal ion concentration of 50 mg/L. The isothermal studies showed that both Langmuir and Freundlich models well expressed the adsorption process. Kinetically, the pseudo-second-order reaction better expressed the type of reaction than the pseudo-first-order reaction.