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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Essential Metal Uptake in Gram-negative Bacteria: X-ray Fluorescence, Radioisotopes, and Cell Fractionation
Published on: February 1, 2018
Uptake of Metal Ions by Rhizopus arrhizus Biomass
J M Tobin1, D G Cooper, R J Neufeld
1Biochemical Engineering Research Unit, Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada H3A 2A7.
Abstract:
Rhizopus arrhizus biomass was found to absorb a variety of different metal cations and anions but did not absorb alkali metal ions. The amount of uptake of the cations was directly related to ionic radii of La, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba, Hg, Pb, UO(2), and Ag. The uptake of all the cations is consistent with absorption of the metals by sites in the biomass containing phosphate, carboxylate, and other functional groups. The uptake of the molybdate and vanadate anions was strongly pH dependent, and it is proposed that the uptake mechanism involves electrostatic attraction to positively charged functional groups.
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