Bioremoval of Cobalt(II) from Aqueous Solution by Three Different and Resistant Fungal Biomasses

The biosorption of Co(II) on three fungal biomasses: Paecilomyces sp., Penicillium sp., and Aspergillus Niger, was studied in this work. The fungal biomass of Paecilomyces sp. showed the best results, since it removes 93%25 at 24 h of incubation, while the biomasses of Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus Niger are less efficient, since they remove the metal 77.5%25 and 70%25, respectively, in the same time of incubation, with an optimum pH of removal for the three analyzed biomasses of 5.0 ± 0.2 at 28°C. Regarding the temperature of incubation, the most efficient biomass was that of Paecilomyces sp., since it removes 100%25, at 50°C, while the biomasses of Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus Niger remove 97.1%25 and 94.1%25, at the same temperature, in 24 hours of incubation. On the contrary, if the concentration of the metal is increased, the removal capacity for the three analyzed biomasses decreases; if the concentration of the bioadsorbent is increased, the removal of the metal also increases. It was observed that, after 4 and 7 days of incubation, 100%25, 100%25, and 96.4%25 of Co(II) present in naturally contaminated water were removed, respectively. © 2019 Juan F. Cárdenas González et al.

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