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Sorption of Heavy Metals by the Soil Fungi Aspergillus Niger and Mucor Rouxii
Citation:
Mullen, M., D. Wolf, T. Beveridge, AND G. Bailey. Sorption of Heavy Metals by the Soil Fungi Aspergillus Niger and Mucor Rouxii. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-92/155 (NTIS PB92179811).
Description:
Sorption of the nitrate salts of cadmium(II), copper (II), lanthanum(III) and silver (I) by two fungi, Aspergillus niger and Mucor rouxii, was evaluated using Fruendlich adsorption isotherms and energy dispersive X-ray electron microscopy. The linearized Freundlich isotherm described the metal sorption data well for metal concentrations of 5 uM - 1 mM metal. ifferences in metal binding were observed among metals, as well as between fungal species. alculated Freundlich K values indicated that metal binding decreased in the order La3+ > Ag+ > Cu2+ > Cd2+. ow- ever, sorption of Age was greater than that of La3+ from solutions of 0.1 and 1 mM metal and lily due to precipitation at the cell wall surface. t the 1 mM initial concentration, there were no significant differences between the two fungi in metal sorption, except for Age binding. t the 5 uM concentration, there was no difference between the fungi in their sorption capacities for the four metals. lectron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that silver precipitated onto cells as colloidal silver. he results indicate that Freundlich isotherms may be useful for describing short-term metal sorption by fungal biomass and for comparison with other soil constituents in standardized systems.
