| Abstrakt: |
Biosorption of heavy metals by different waste materials is one of the treatmentsthat has emerged as an environmentallyfriendlymethod for removing metalsfrom aqueous solutions. As previous studies reported the potential of chemical pre-treatments to enhance the activityoffish scalesin removing heavymetalsfrom synthetic wastewater, in the present study, the biosorptive potential of Cyprinus carpio scales pre-treated with 1 M NaCl, 0.1 M NaOH and 2% soluble potassium salts of humic acids for the removal of Fe3+, Mn2+ and Zn2+ from real acidic mine drainage (AMD) was investigated. Before and after the biosorption process, the biosorbent was characterised using scanning electron microscopy - energy-dispersiveX-rayspectroscopy(SEM-EDX). Experimentstodetermine the effect ofthe chemical pre-treatment agent on the sorption processwere performed. The resultsshowed that this inexpensive biowaste offers great potential for the removal of metal ions since a solid:liquid ratio of 1:50 (g:mL) was sufficient to reduce the Zn concentration below the values established by Romanian legislation, after 240 min of stirring. In the investigated experimental conditions, about 100 %, 82.3 % and 98.08% ofiron, manganese, and zinc ions were removed from AMD solution after 240 min of contact with the finest-grained Cyprinus carpio scales sample pre-treated with 0.1 M NaOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
