Biosorption of nickel(II) and copper(II) ions from aqueous solution by Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

Abstract

The biosorption of nickel(II) and copper(II) ions from aqueous solution by dried Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) was studied as a function of concentration, pH and temperature. The optimum pH range for nickel and copper uptake was 8.0 and 5.0, respectively. At the optimal conditions, metal ion uptake was increased as the initial metal ion concentration increased up to 250 mg l −1. At 250 mg l −1 copper(II) ion uptake was 21.8% whereas nickel(II) ion uptake was found to be as high as 7.3% compared to those reported earlier in the literature. Metal ion uptake experiments were carried out at different temperatures where the best ion uptake was found to be at 25 °C. The characteristics of the adsorption process were investigated using Scatchard analysis at 25 °C. Scatchard analysis of the equilibrium binding data for metal ions on S. coelicolor A3(2) gave rise to a linear plot, indicating that the Langmuir model could be applied. However, for nickel(II) ion, divergence from the Scatchard plot was evident, consistent with the participation of secondary equilibrium effects in the adsorption process. Adsorption behaviour of nickel(II) and copper(II) ions on the S. coelicolor A3(2) can be expressed by both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption data with respect to both metals provide an excellent fit to the Freundlich isotherm. However, when the Langmuir isotherm model was applied to these data, a good fit was obtained for the copper adsorption only and not for nickel(II) ion.