title: Microbial and plant derived biomass for removal of heavy metals from wastewater.
abstract: Discharge of heavy metals from metal processing industries is known to have adverse effects on the environment. Conventional treatment technologies for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution are not economical and generate huge quantity of toxic chemical sludge. Biosorption of heavy metals by metabolically inactive non-living biomass of microbial or plant origin is an innovative and alternative technology for removal of these pollutants from aqueous solution. Due to unique chemical composition biomass sequesters metal ions by forming metal complexes from solution and obviates the necessity to maintain special growth-supporting conditions. Biomass of Aspergillus niger, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus nigricans, Ascophyllum nodosum, Sargassum natans, Chlorella fusca, Oscillatoria anguistissima, Bacillus firmus and Streptomyces sp. have highest metal adsorption capacities ranging from 5 to 641 mg g(-1) mainly for Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni. Biomass generated as a by-product of fermentative processes offers great potential for adopting an economical metal-recovery system. The purpose of this paper is to review the available information on various attributes of utilization of microbial and plant derived biomass and explores the possibility of exploiting them for heavy metal remediation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala 147 004, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Sarabjeet Singh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ahluwalia
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goyal
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D018533:Biomass; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical