Sorption of copper(II) and silver(I) by four bacterial exopolysaccharides

Metal remediation was studied by the sorption of analytical grade copper Cu(II) and silver Ag(I) by four exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by marine bacteria. Colorimetric analysis showed that these EPS were composed of neutral sugars, uronic acids (>20 %), acetate, and sulfate (29 %). Metal sorption experiments were conducted in batch process. Results showed that the maximum sorption capacities calculated according to Langmuir model were 400 mg g(-1) EPS (6.29 mmol g(-1)) and 333 mg g(-1) EPS (3.09 mmol g(-1)) for Cu(II) and Ag(I), respectively. Optimum pH values of Ag(I) sorption were determined as 5.7. Experiment results also demonstrated the influence of initial silver concentration and EPS concentrations. Microanalyzing coupled with scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of metal and morphological changes of the EPS by the sorption of metallic cations. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated possible functional groups (e.g., carboxyl, hydroxyl, and sulfate) of EPS involved in the metal sorption processes. These results showed that EPS from marine bacteria are very promising for copper and silver remediation. Further development in dynamic and continuous process at the industrial scale will be established next.