Kinetic studies for the use of fermented agricultural byproduct by fungi in removal of some toxic metals from their waste solutions

A new sorbent material has been developed that sesame stalks as agricultural byproduct which are available at very little or no cost was fermented by fungi to produce high quality sorbent material. Microbial biomass offers an economical option for removing heavy metals by the phenomenon of bio sorption. Fermented sesame stalks by the fungal biomass Aspergillus terreus (Thom), was tested for its ability to remove chromium and cadmium ions from waste solutions. Some significant parameters i.e., contact time, solution ph, mass of sorbent material and the effect of metal concentrations were investigated. Desorption studies were also performed. The kinetic of sorption was evaluated by applying the Lagergren equation. Results showed that the ph of the solution strongly affected the degree of bio sorption of metal ions by biomass. The metal ion sorption obeyed Freundlich isotherm. It was found that the exponent 1/n is in the range of 1> 1/n > 0, which signify that strong adsorptive forces are operative on the surface of the fermented sesame stalks by fungal biomass. The kinetics of sorption indicated that the removal of both chromium and cadmium ions from solution follows a first-order reaction with fast rate. It could be concluded that fermented sesame stalks by the fungal biomass Aspergillus terreus (Thom), can be considered as an economical alternative sorbent material for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater by the phenomenon of bio sorption