Removal of copper(II) ions from synthetic solution and real wastewater by the combined action of dried Trametes versicolor cells and montmorillonite

A combination of white rot fungi Trametes versicolor and montmorillonite type clay was studied for its ability to remove copper(II) ions from copper contaminated solutions. The effects of process parameters i.e. pH, sorbent dosage, contact time and temperature on the biosorption were examined. Reasonably rapid metal sequester rate was obtained. Maximum copper(II) biosorption capacity was found as 9.89 × 10− 4 mol g− 1(62.80 mg g− 1) at pH 5.0, 1.2 g L− 1 sorbent dosage and 20 °C. Batch biosorption process follows Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Zeta potential measurements showed that immobilized biosorbent was negatively charged in the pH range of 2.0–8.0. Changes in the texture surface of the biosorbent were screened by using scanning electron microscopy after immobilization and metal sorption processes. Interactions between sorbent and metal ion were examined by FTIR analysis. The proposed immobilized fungal biomass was successfully used to sequester of copper ions from real wastewater in continuous mode. These results indicated that montmorillonite immobilized cells of T. versicolor were an efficient alternative for the removal of copper(II) ions from synthetic solutions and real wastewater.