Abstract
The performance of fungal biomass immobilized within a loofa sponge (FBILS) to remove heavy metal ions such as Pb(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solution was tested as a new biosorbent system. FBILS was found to remove heavy metal ions efficiently from aqueous solution with selectivity in the order of Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II). The biosorption of metal ions by FBILS increased as the initial concentration of metal ions increased in the medium. Biosorption equilibrium was established by 60 min. The maximum heavy metal ions adsorbed was found to be 135.3, 102.8, 50.9 mg/g FBILS for Pb(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II), respectively. The maximum uptake of metal ions was obtained at pH 6.0. Temperature over the range 10–50 °C had no effect on the biosorption capacity of FBILS. The adsorption of all three metal ions followed the Langmuir isotherm. Competitive adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions was also studied. FBILS was regenerated by washing with a 50 mM solution of HCl. The desorption efficiency was as high as 98%. The regenerated FBILS was found to be suitable for repeated use for five adsorption–desorption cycles without significant loss in adsorption capacity. The results suggest that FBILS can be used as a biosorbent for an efficient removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution.
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