[Biosorption of chromium (VI) by waste biomass of epsilon-poly-L-lysine fermentation]

The sorption of hexavalent chromium by waste biomass of epsilon-Poly-L-lysine fermentation strains (Streptomyces albulus) PD-1 was studied. Effects of pretreatment ways, pH, initial concentration of Cr(VI), contact time and temperature on biosorption were determined. It was found that homogenization in HCl was the best way to pretreat mycelia, having an increased rate of Cr(VI) biosorption at 22.7%, the optimum pH was about 2.0, while no significant impact of temperature on the biosorption was observed. The fitness of the experimental data for the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models was further examined and good correlations with R2 of 0.979 4 and 0.979 8 were observed, indicating the presence of both monolayer biosorption and heterogeneous surface condition. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Streptomyces albulus PD-1 for Cr(VI) was 23.92 mg x g(-1). FT-IR analysis demonstrates that the major functional groups (amide and hydroxyl) may contribute to the absorption of Cr(VI).