Biosorption of Cr(VI) from Aqueous Solution by Aspergillus Niger

Abstract

In this study, Biosorption of hexavalent chromium ions from aqueous solution by using biomass ofAspergillus nigerwas investigated. Different parameters such as initial pH, biosorbent amount, contact time and temperature were explored. The biosorption of Cr (VI) ions was highly pH dependent and the optimum pH for biosorption of Cr (VI) ions was found to be 2.0. Biosorption capacity of Cr (VI) ions decreased with increased biosorbent dosage. The biosorption equilibrium was established in about 120min of contact time. Equilibrium uptake of Cr (VI) ions onto biomass increased from 12.57 mg/g at 20°C to 19.48 mg/g at 40 °C for 20mg/L Cr (VI) ions concentration. The biosorption process followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the correlation coefficients from the pseudo-second order model were all higher than 0.997 in all studied temperatures. These results suggest that the biomass ofAspergillus nigeris a promising biosorbent for removal of chromium (VI) ions from the wastewater.