Continuous Packed Bed Biosorption of Copper by Immobilized Seaweed Biomass

The biosorption of copper by inactivated biomass of the brown seaweed Sargassum baccularia, immobilized onto polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel beads, was investigated using a laboratory-scale packed bed column. Continuous-flow column tests were performed to determine breakthrough curves at two different column lengths. In both cases, a very broad trailing edge of the breakthrough curve was observed, indicating the presence of intraparticle diffusion resistance within the biomass beads. Such asymmetric breakthrough curves could not be described by a simplified two parameter packed bed model. A positive aspect of the PVA-immobilized biomass was that its copper uptake capacity remained essentially unaltered over two consecutive cycles of adsorption-desorption. The biomass beads could be regenerated for reuse with an aqueous solution containing 4mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The robustness and stability of the immobilized biomass beads could lead to the development of an efficient and cost-effective bioremediation technology for the removal and recovery of toxic metals from aqueous solutions. © 2002 SDU. All rights reserved.