title: The use of waste biomass of Sargassum sp. for the biosorption of copper from simulated semiconductor effluents.
abstract: Seaweed Sargassum sp. biomass proved to be useful for the recovery of ionic copper from highly concentrated solutions simulating effluents from semiconductor production. In the case of solutions containing copper in the form of chloride, sulphate and nitrate salts, the best pH for the recovery of copper was 4.5. It was observed that copper biosorption from copper nitrate solutions was higher than the recovery of copper from copper chloride or sulphate solutions. The continuous system used was constituted of four column reactors filled with the biomass of Sargassum sp. and showed high operational stability. Biomass of Sargassum sp. in the reactors was gradually saturated from the bottom to the top of each column reactor. The biomass of Sargassum sp. in the first column was saturated first, followed by a gradual saturation of the remaining columns due to the pre-concentration caused by the biomass in the first column. The biomass of Sargassum in the bioreactors completely biosorbed the ionic copper contained in 63 L of copper sulphate solution, 72 L of copper chloride solution and 72 L of copper nitrate solution, all the solutions containing copper at 500 mg/L. Effluents produced after biosorption presented copper concentrations less than 0.5 mg/L.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Tecnologia, Escola de Química, Departamento de Engenharia Bioquímica, Ilha do Fundão, Cidade Universitária, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Pinto
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Padilha
authors.forename: Francisca Pessôa
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: de França
authors.forename: Antonio Carlos Augusto
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: da Costa
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D019149:Bioreactors; D003300:Copper / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D044647:Sargassum / Q000378:metabolism*; D012666:Semiconductors; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper