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Performance of dead Azolla filiculoides biomass in Biosorption of Au from wastewater
L J Umali1, J R Duncan, J E Burgess
1Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Rhodes University, 6140, Grahamstown, South Africa.
Abstract:
Dried milled biomass of Azolla filiculoides removed up to 98.2% of gold from wastewater from a gold plating factory containing 5 mg gold/l in solution in batch biosorption. The gold uptake capacity of the biomass was 98 mg/g. Whole dried biomass used in a continuous flow column removed up to 100% of gold from diluted wastewater. A similar column was linked to a sulphide precipitation process to provide a two-step system which was able to remove 98% of gold from undiluted wastewater containing 41 mg Au/l. The lifetime of the column was five days.
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