Development of a biosorbent for arsenite

The understanding of the interaction mechanism of arsenite with biological molecules, and more specifically the biochemical fundamentals that explain arsenic toxicity, was applied to the development of a bio material capable of selectively removing As (III) from aqueous environments. The results of this original approach to the treatment of arsenic-containing solution demonstrated that a cysteine-rich biomass - a residue from the poultry industry - was highly selective for arsenic removal in its trivalent form, and advantage over the conventional techniques for As uptake, which usually require a previous oxidation stage. Arsenic uptake reaches values of up to 270 μmol As (III)Ig of biomass. The observed selectivity towards As(III) was explained by the adsorption mechanism. (author)