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ISSN: 1557-4989 (Print)
ISSN: 1557-4997 (Online)
Research Article Open Access

Biosorption of Cr(III) by Microalgae and Macroalgae: Equilibrium of the Process

Izabela Michalak1, Agnieszka Zielinska1, Katarzyna Chojnacka1 and Jan Matula2
  • 1 Wroclaw University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic Technology and Mineral Fertilizers, ul. Smoluchowskiego 25, 50-372 Wroclaw, Poland
  • 2 Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, ul. C.K. Norwida 25/27, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland

Abstract

Equilibrium experiments of chromium(III) biosorption by microalga (Spirulina sp.) and macroalga (Pithophora varia) were investigated in this paper. Influence of the following process parameters was studied: pH, biomass concentration and temperature. The equilibrium of the process was described with Langmuir equation. The model parameters were determined at various process conditions. The best operation conditions for the process were selected: pH 5, T 20oC, Cs 1g.l-1 for Pithophora varia and the same for Spirulina sp. Under these conditions, the maximum biosorption capacity 60.6 mg.g-1 and 34.6 mg.g-1, and affinity constant 0.182 l.mg-1 and 0.0553 l.mg-1 were reached for Pithophora varia and Spirulina sp., respectively. It was found that Pithophora varia was more efficient in biosorption of Cr(III) ions than Spirulina sp. Biosorptive properties of microalgal and macroalgal biomass can be employed either in the production of biological feed supplements for livestock or in wastewater treatment processes.

American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Volume 2 No. 4, 2007, 284-290

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajabssp.2007.284.290

Submitted On: 19 May 2007 Published On: 31 December 2007

How to Cite: Michalak, I., Zielinska, A., Chojnacka, K. & Matula, J. (2007). Biosorption of Cr(III) by Microalgae and Macroalgae: Equilibrium of the Process. American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, 2(4), 284-290. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajabssp.2007.284.290

Open AccessCopyright: © 2007 Izabela Michalak, Agnieszka Zielinska, Katarzyna Chojnacka and Jan Matula. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Keywords

  • biosorption
  • Cr(III) ions
  • macroalga Pithophora varia
  • microalga Spirulina sp., mineral feed supplements
  • wastewater treatment