Competitive biosorption of metallic ions in Salvinia cucullata

• Grant number: 11/07832-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2011
• End date: August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Meuris Gurgel Carlos da Silva
• Grantee: Frederico Gaia Costa da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Researchs on environmental biotechnology field have sought to assay alternative materials for treatment of industrial effluents contaminated with heavy metals. The different capacities among several organisms to accumulate metal ions are know for several decades. This fact allows that many kinds of biomass, such as marine algae, fungi, bacteria and macrophytes, can be used as basis for bioadsorbent production. The biosorption of different individual metallic species has been widely studied. However, most industrial effluents are constituted by a mixture of these species that, during the removal, compete among themselves for the binding sites on the absorbent material. This work aims to study the metal ions biosorption in mono-component and competitive systems. It will be evaluated the mechanisms involved (throught the functional groups identification) in the biosorption process of different metal ions on the biomass. To identify the biosorbent surface and the involved species, it will be used several techniques, like physical and chemical analysis (pHZPC), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), eletronic scanning microscopy (MEV) at low vacuum, X-ray dispersive energy electroscopy (EDX) and metal speciation. It aims, mainly, to discern strutural diferences between the biosorbent material before and after the biosorption process.