Removal of Copper and Uranium from Contaminated Waters in Biosorption Columns

Abstract:

It was the aim of this work to investigate the sorption characteristics of the Biocer material that consists of cells of Bacillus sphaericus that are immobilised on a ceramic carrier material, performing column experiments with model waters and real mine drainage waters from a U remediation site in East Germany. In column experiments a nearly quantitative sorption of Cu2+ was performed from solutions of different Cu2+ concentrations and at different flow rates. The desorption of the Cu2+ in the columns was nearly quantitative in a very short time. The columns could be regenerated 16 times without a substantial loss of the sorption capacity of the material. In experiments with U using real drainage waters, a specific U sorption capacity of 2.34 mg/g was determined. By variation of the experimental parameters, the long-term stability and sorption properties of the Biocer columns can be substantially improved.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 20-21)
• Pages: 627-630
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.20-21.627
• Online since: July 2007
• Authors: K. Steudel, G. Horak, Sabine Willscher, W. Pompe, Peter Werner
• Keywords: Biocer Materials, Biosorption of Cu, Biosorption of U, Column Experiment

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