Artículo: BIOSORPTION OF CHROMIUM (VI) BY Citrus paradise SHELL

Abstract

Cr (VI) is a toxic metal, which belongs to the list of priority pollutants due to its mutagenic and carcinogenic properties, defined by the US EPA. Contamination with Cr (VI) comes from electroplating, leather tanning, textile dyeing and metal finishing industries. Recently, a variety of low cost materials has been studied for their ability to remove this metal from aqueous solution with promising results. We studied the removal capacity of Chromium (VI) in solution by the grapefruit shell biomass, using the Diphenylcarbazide method to evaluate the metal concentration. Therefore, the highest biosorption of the metal (50 mg/L) occurs within 70 minutes, at pH of 1, and 28 °C. According to temperature, the highest removal was observed at 60°C, in 180 minutes, when the metal (1 g/L) is completely adsorbed. At the concentrations of Cr (VI) analyzed, the biomass showed excellent removal capacity, besides, removes efficiently the metal in situ (100% removal, 7 days of incubation, 5 g of biomass), and after of 1 hour of incubation the studied biomass reduces 1.0 g of Cr (VI) with the simultaneous production of Cr (III), so it can be used to eliminate it from industrial wastewater.