Desenvolvimento de bio-adsorventes com tecnologia de fermentações para descontaminação e recuperação de metais

Abstract

The occurrence of environmental accidents with the dumping of toxic metals in aquatic environments around the world, has become a warning for the whole society. The presence of these metals in aquatic environments compromises the organisms that live there and the supply of the region. In this context, the present work evaluated the potential of using bacterial cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the process of removing heavy metals from the production of BioMnOx and bio-adsorbents with the use of ceramic fiber and polyurethane foam as a solid matrix. The results suggested greater removals in the evaluated conditions of non-production of BioMnOx for the metals Co, Zn and Mn which were 50, 94 and 80%, respectively. The evaluation of the two materials as a solid matrix resulted in bio-adsorption capacities of up to 500 µg of Mn (II) ions / g of adsorbent without modification by corn starch in the ceramic fiber and up to 600 µg of Mn (II) ions / g of adsorbent with polyurethane foam modified to 12% corn starch over 120 minutes. The bio-adsorption capacity of equilibrium Mn (II) ions was approximately 500 µg of Mn (II) ions / g of adsorbent in 40 min and removal of up to 85% of Mn (II) ions in 5 min. contact, proving to be a fast and efficient process with possible regeneration of the solid polyurethane matrix. Parallel to the production of bio-adsorbent, the production of biosurfactants, which are biomolecules produced by microorganisms such as bacteria, was evaluated. In this research, the characterization of the production of biosurfactant by the tests of surface tension, emulsification index and concentration of ramnolipid which were 41mN / m, 100% and 63.45 mg / L, respectively, proving the production of this compound. The economic study of the production process of the polyurethane bio-adsorbent showed a total cost of 0.0299 USD / mg of adsorbed Mn (II) ions.