Abstract
A study on the biosorption of heavy metals is reported in this work. A biosorption process realised by confining the biomass in a membrane reactor has been considered. A kinetic model for the process has been developed by combining equilibrium data and material balances. Simulations have been performed to determine the effect of main operating conditions on the process. In particular, the metal profiles in the outlet stream and the cumulative metal removal have been determined both in a single-stage reactor and in a series of two-membrane modules. Furthermore, a range of variation for the metal concentration in the permeate has been determined, in order to predict experimental data with 95% probability. A first validation of the model has been obtained for a single-stage ultrafiltration/microfiltration (UF/MF) system, in the case of copper biosorption by Arthrobacter sp., under the following operating conditions: inlet copper concentration, 10 mg/L; inlet flow rate, 3.5 mL/min; biomass concentration, 1 g/L; reaction volume, 500 mL. The simulation showed the technical feasibility of this biosorption process where biomass is confined inside the reactor by an appropriate membrane.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call