Bioflocculant may be a promising bioactivator for heavy metal removal duo to its eco-friendly properties and remarkable ability to adsorb heavy metals. In this study, bioflocculant production from a bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. GO2, was optimized and its removal efficiency for two heavy metal ions was evaluated. Results demonstrated that the maximal flocculation efficiency was achieved with concentration levels of 5 g/L glucose, 3 g/L casein, and 5 g/L NaCl, with an initial pH of 9.0, and a fermentation time of 48 h. Bioflocculant produced by GO2 had a stronger removal efficiency for Cd2+ than that of Pb2+, with highest removal efficiencies of 85.38% and 80.87%, respectively. The adsorption process was mainly dependent on the monolayer and chemisorption based on the adsorption isotherm and kinetic models. This study demonstrated that bioflocculant produced by the GO2 strain has the potential to be used in heavy metal treatment from industrial wastewater.
Keywords: Adsorption mechanism; Bioflocculant; Fermentation condition; Heavy metal removal; Pseudomonas sp. GO2.
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