The biosorption of phenol on non-living lyophilized mycelial pellets of Phanerochaete chrysosporium cultivated in liquid medium of various compositions was studied in batch biosorption system. The fungal cell surfaces were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and specific surface charge determination. The sorption kinetics and equilibrium were evaluated using linear and non-linear regression. For adsorption equilibrium, a comparative evaluation is also presented using non-linear least-square estimation and linearization of the Langmuir and anti-Langmuir equations. The presence of mineral and vitamin materials in the liquid medium enhanced the adsorption capacity of fungal biomass for phenol. At optimum pH 5-6, the values of specific surface charge were 0.023 and 0.069 meq g-1 for various cultivations, and the maximum amounts of phenol can be adsorbed at these pH values. The maximum adsorbed phenol amounts by cells cultivated in simple and complex media were 4.53 and 13.48 mg g-1, respectively, at an initial phenol concentration of 100 mg l-1. Graphical abstract ᅟ.
Keywords: Biosorption; Cultivation; Heat and pressure treatment; Lyophilization; Phanerochaete chrysosporium; Phenol.