Biosorption Characteristics of Hg(II) from Aqueous Solution by the Biopolymer from Waste Activated Sludge

Jiao Zhang, Pan Wang, Zhiqiang Zhang, Pengyu Xiang and Siqing Xia
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Jiao Zhang: School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, Shanghai 200432, China
Pan Wang: Shanghai Jianke Environmental Consulting Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200032, China
Zhiqiang Zhang: Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Pengyu Xiang: Zhejiang Weiming Environment Protection Co., Ltd., Wenzhou 325000, China
Siqing Xia: Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-9

Abstract: The divalent mercury ion (Hg(II)) is one of the most hazardous toxic heavy-metal ions, and an important industrial material as well. It is essential to remove and recover Hg(II) from wastewater before it is released into the environment. In this study, the biosorption characteristics of Hg(II) from aqueous solution by the biopolymer from waste activated sludge (WAS) are investigated. The major components of the biopolymer consisted of proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. The adsorption kinetics fit for the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherms were well described by Langmuir equation. The adsorption capacity of the biopolymer increased along with rising temperature, and the maximal adsorption capacity was up to 477.0 mg Hg(II)/g biopolymer at 308 K. The infrared spectroscopy analyses showed that the complexation of Hg(II) by the biopolymer was achieved by the functional groups in the biopolymer, including hydroxyl (–OH), amino (–NH 2 ), and carboxylic (–COOH). From the surface morphology, the special reticulate structure enabled the biopolymer to easily capture the metal ions. From the elemental components analyses, a part of Hg(II) ions was removed due to ion exchange with the Na + , K + , and Ca 2+ , in the biopolymer. Both complexation and ion exchange played key roles in the adsorption of Hg(II) by the biopolymer. These results are of major significance for removal and recovery of Hg(II) from wastewater.

Keywords: biopolymer; biosorption; divalent mercury ions (Hg(II)); waste activated sludge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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