Biosorption of cadmium and nickel by pretreated Aspergillus spp. Biomass

ABSTRACT

Industrial effluents contaminated with the heavy metals pose threat to the environment and its habitants. Biosorption is an effective and eco-friendly method for sequestration of heavy metals from such effluents. Fungi, with their remarkable metabolism-independent metal uptake systems, are efficient natural biosorbents of heavy metals. Therefore, we explored fungal biomass (Aspergillus spp.) pretreated with formaldehyde (solvent) and sodium hydroxide (alkali) for sequestration of metals cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) from the aqueous solutions contaminated with heavy metals. The results have shown significant increase in the sequestration of Cd and Ni by the Aspergillus spp. biomass pretreated with formaldehyde and sodium hydroxide and thereby demonstrated its potential in cleaning the environment polluted with heavy metals.