Optimizing Cu removal/recovery in a biosorption column

Biosorption of Cu2+ by Sargassum fluitans seaweed biomass protonated by an acidic wash or loaded with Ca2+ is based on ion exchange. The uptake of Cu2+ is respectively accompanied by a release of either H+ or Ca2+ into the solution phase. The effects of Ca-, H- and H/Ca-cycles on the performance of a continuous-flow biosorption fixed-bed were established. The Ca-cycle applied to Sargassum biomass in a packed bed led to a high degree of a column utilization but did not allow an effective Cu recovery. The H-cycle permitted 100% Cu recovery but also shortened the sorption column service time. The combined Ca/H-cycle was shown to be inefficient due to the time consuming regeneration of biomass from the H-form to the Ca-form. Biomass pretreatment with 1% (w) solution of CaCl2 and with 0.1 HCl resulted in the same Cu uptake of 75 mg/g. The Ca-pretreated biomass lost approximately 30% of its Cu capacity with subsequent acidic wash. The equilibrium aspects of Cu removal and recovery in a biosorption column were analyzed through the concept of ion-exchange isotherms. The dynamics of Cu sorption and of biomass regeneration in a fixed-bed column was predicted by numerically solving the equations of a proposed ion-exchange model.