Assessment of Various Biomasses in the Removal of Phenol from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

Recently, bioadsorbents have emerged as an eco-friendly effective and low cost material option. These bioadsorbents include some fungus, agricultural wastes, algae and bacteria. Biosorption attacks attention at recent years as an alternative to conventional methods for phenolic compounds removal from water and wastewater. Fungal cell walls and their components have major role in the biosorption. Fungal biomass can also take up considerable quantities of pollutants from aqueous solutions by adsorption or a related process, even in the absence of physiological activity. This study, investigated the use of non-viable pretreated cells of Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus arrhizus and activated sludge to remove phenol from aqueous solutions in batch reactors. Three types of died pretreated Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus arrhizus and Activated sludge biomasses powders were used as a biosorbent to remove phenol present in an aqueous solution at a concentration of 50 mg/l. It was observed that initial pH, initial biosorbent concentration and adsorption time affected adsorption rates. It was observed that, sulfuric acid-pretreated died Aspergillus niger biomass powder was the most effective in three types of used microorganisms to remove phenol. The maximum removal of phenol was observed at in an initial pH of 5 for the sulfuric acid-pretreat biomass. Approximately, 85-90 % phenol was removed for the sulfuric acid pretreated Aspergillus niger biomass and an initial concentration of 50 mg/l of phenol within 50 minutes.