Biosorption of Uranium from Aqueous Solution by Live and Dead Aspergillus niger

Abstract

AbstractThe ability of live and dead biomass of indigenous Aspergillus niger was examined for the removal of uranium (VI) from dilute aqueous solutions. The influences of different experimental parameters such as initial solution pH, initial uranium concentration, biomass concentration, and contact time were investigated. The results indicated that the maximum sorption of biomass was observed at pH 5 and pH 4, and biosorption equilibrium was established in 120 and 60 min, for live and dead biomass, respectively. Optimal biosorption was observed at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3 g dry biomass per 100 mL for live and dead biomass, respectively. Langmuir and Freundlich models were well able to explain the sorption-equilibrium data with satisfactory correlation coefficients higher than 0.9 for both sorbents. Moreover, the Langmuir isotherm in linear form fit better for both live and dead biomass of A. niger. The kinetic study showed that the pseudosecond-order model was appropriate to describe the sorption pro...