Copper Ions Biosorption Properties of Biomass Derived from Algerian Sahara Plants

Abstract

Biosorption of heavy metals from aqueous solutions is a relatively new technology for the treatment of industrial wastewater, which utilized naturally occurring waste materials derived from biomass. Generaly Heavy metals eliminated by biosorption are usually classified on three categories: toxic metals (such as Hg, Cr, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, As, Co, Sn, etc.), precious metals (such as Pd, Pt, Ag, Au, Ru etc.) and radionuclides (such as U, Th, Ra, Am, etc.), whose specific weight is usually more than 5.0 g/cm3 [Bishop, 2002; Volesky, 1990; Wang & Chen, 2006]. The heavy metal ions are stable and persistent environmental contaminants since they cannot be degraded and destroyed. These metal ions can be harmful to aquatic life and water contaminated by toxic metal ions remains a serious public health problem for human health. Numerous methods exist to remove heavy metals ions from aqueous solutions by chemical precipitation or by activated carbon as the most used adsorbent, nevertheless it is relatively expensive [Demirbas, 2008; Gabaldon et al, 1996]. The toxicity of heavy metals is apparent in reducing growth and development in microorganisms and plants, and seriously harming the health of animals and humans. In particular, heavy metals may disrupt the normal function of the central nervous system and cause changes in the blood content, and adversely affect the function of lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs. The long-term action of heavy metals may cause the development of cancer, allergy, dystrophy, physical and neurological degenerative processes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, in small amounts, heavy metals are indispensable for many organisms, but their enhanced doses induce acute or chronic poisoning [Kvesitadze et al, 2006] Adsorbent materials derived from Biomass can be used for the effective removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from wastewater: from algae [Farooq et al, 2010; Hamdy, 2000], fungi [Kapoor et al., 1999], bacteria [Ozturk, 2007], sea-weeds [Elangovan et al., 2008], some higher plants (Rahman et al., 2005), and agricultural wastes[Demirbas, 2008; Park et al, 2006]. Several reviews articles have been published about the use of certain cellulosic agricultural waste materials for the removal of heavy metal ions [Sud et al., 2008], the use of microbial