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Final Report: Heavy Metals Removal from Contaminated Water Solutions
EPA Grant Number: R825549C041Subproject: this is subproject number 041 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825549
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: HSRC (1989) - Great Plains/Rocky Mountain HSRC
Center Director: Erickson, Larry E.
Title: Heavy Metals Removal from Contaminated Water Solutions
Investigators: Lewandowski, Z.
Institution: Montana State University - Bozeman
EPA Project Officer: Manty, Dale
Project Period: May 1, 1992 through May 17, 1997
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Hazardous Substance Research Centers - HSRC (1989)
Research Category: Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil/Water
Description:
Objective:The goal of this research has been to quantify the process of metal binding to biopolymer gels in solutions containing more than one metal. One pragmatic objective has been to develop criteria for process design for heavy metal adsorption under realistic operating conditions; e.g. when a solution contains many metals. A second objective has been to explore methods for biopolymer regeneration and metal recovery from biopolymer gel beads. Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Extracellular polymers extracted from living microorganisms constitute an attractive alternative for removing heavy metals from dilute aqueous solutions. However, demonstrated technologies do not offer any rational means of predicting the process kinetics and thermodynamics as a function of water chemical composition. Thus far documented research efforts are largely related to binding single metals from aqueous solutions. Such convenient simplification is unacceptable for most technical applications of the process. For example, it is a rare exception that a water is contaminated with a single heavy metal In frequently encountered situations, when more than one heavy metal is present in solution, the existing models do not apply and resulting levels of metals removal can not be predicted.
In addition, practical use of biopolymers for removing heavy metals will require that the spent resin be disposed of or regenerated for reuse. The prospect of dealing with large amounts of concentrated toxic by-products is of significant concern.
Sodium alginate was the biopolymer chosen for study. It is ubiquitous in nature and is one of the main biopolymers found in common Pseudomonas microbial organisms. We used a commercially available, medium viscosity form of the polymer from Sigma Chemical Co., catalog number A2033. Aqueous solutions of the biopolymer were dripped into either calcium chloride solutions or heavy metal-containing solutions to form gel beads approximately 2 mm in diameter. The gel beads consisted of alginate-bound heavy metals. The gel spheres were suspended in a continuously stirred solution of known metal concentrations until their metal binding capacity was exhausted. During that time the water was analyzed for metal content to describe the metal uptake kinetics. After the binding capacity of the biopolymer in solution was exhausted, the equilibrium levels of metals remaining in solution were analyzed. From these results the thermodynamic parameters of the binding process were evaluated.
Regeneration consisted of suspending 22 grams of beads, previously saturated in 500 ml of a 150 ppm copper solution, in a beaker of 0.5 M calcium chloride and applying a potential of 0.5 volts DC vs a SCE reference electrode in a three electrode potentiostatic system. This process was tested to remove the copper as copper metal while regenerating copper-free beads.
1) Sodium alginate effectively removes copper from heavy metal contaminated
water.
2) When used in conjunction with bead regeneration, alginate beads
may be used to treat large volumes of contaminated water.
3) Regeneration of
alginate beads is possible using a combination of equilibrium shifting plus
electrodeposition.
4) Binding capacity of alginate beads decreases and then
levels off when used in conjunction with regeneration.
The results were presented at the 1994 annual conference.
Journal Articles:No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this subproject
Supplemental Keywords:heavy metals, water, biopolymers, sodium alginate. , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Waste, RFA, Remediation, Analytical Chemistry, Hazardous Waste, Fate & Transport, Environmental Chemistry, Hazardous, Ecology and Ecosystems, Geochemistry, heavy metals, water quality, contaminant transport models, bioploymers, fate and transport, hazadous waste streams, aqueous waste streams, chemical transport, organic chemicals, groundwater, chemical kinetics, contaminant dynamics, biopolymers, groundwater contamination, hazardous chemicals
Relevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
Original Abstract
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R825549 HSRC (1989) - Great Plains/Rocky Mountain HSRC
Subprojects under this Center:
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825549C006 Fate of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in Plant/Soil Systems
R825549C007 Experimental Study of Stabilization/Solidification of Hazardous Wastes
R825549C008 Modeling Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrate and Pesticide Contamination in the Subsurface Environment
R825549C009 Vadose Zone Decontamination by Air Venting
R825549C010 Thermochemical Treatment of Hazardous Wastes
R825549C011 Development, Characterization and Evaluation of Adsorbent Regeneration Processes for Treament of Hazardous Waste
R825549C012 Computer Method to Estimate Safe Level Water Quality Concentrations for Organic Chemicals
R825549C013 Removal of Nitrogenous Pesticides from Rural Well-Water Supplies by Enzymatic Ozonation Process
R825549C014 The Characterization and Treatment of Hazardous Materials from Metal/Mineral Processing Wastes
R825549C015 Adsorption of Hazardous Substances onto Soil Constituents
R825549C016 Reclamation of Metal and Mining Contaminated Superfund Sites using Sewage Sludge/Fly Ash Amendment
R825549C017 Metal Recovery and Reuse Using an Integrated Vermiculite Ion Exchange - Acid Recovery System
R825549C018 Removal of Heavy Metals from Hazardous Wastes by Protein Complexation for their Ultimate Recovery and Reuse
R825549C019 Development of In-situ Biodegradation Technology
R825549C020 Migration and Biodegradation of Pentachlorophenol in Soil Environment
R825549C021 Deep-Rooted Poplar Trees as an Innovative Treatment Technology for Pesticide and Toxic Organics Removal from Soil and Groundwater
R825549C022 In-situ Soil and Aquifer Decontaminaiton using Hydrogen Peroxide and Fenton's Reagent
R825549C023 Simulation of Three-Dimensional Transport of Hazardous Chemicals in Heterogeneous Soil Cores Using X-ray Computed Tomography
R825549C024 The Response of Natural Groundwater Bacteria to Groundwater Contamination by Gasoline in a Karst Region
R825549C025 An Electrochemical Method for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation and Metals Recovery
R825549C026 Sulfide Size and Morphology Identificaiton for Remediation of Acid Producing Mine Wastes
R825549C027 Heavy Metals Removal from Dilute Aqueous Solutions using Biopolymers
R825549C028 Neutron Activation Analysis for Heavy Metal Contaminants in the Environment
R825549C029 Reducing Heavy Metal Availability to Perennial Grasses and Row-Crops Grown on Contaminated Soils and Mine Spoils
R825549C030 Alachlor and Atrazine Losses from Runoff and Erosion in the Blue River Basin
R825549C031 Biodetoxification of Mixed Solid and Hazardous Wastes by Staged Anaerobic Fermentation Conducted at Separate Redox and pH Environments
R825549C032 Time Dependent Movement of Dioxin and Related Compounds in Soil
R825549C033 Impact of Soil Microflora on Revegetation Efforts in Southeast Kansas
R825549C034 Modeling the use of Plants in Remediation of Soil and Groundwater Contaminated by Hazardous Organic Substances
R825549C035 Development of Electrochemical Processes for Improved Treatment of Lead Wastes
R825549C036 Innovative Treatment and Bank Stabilization of Metals-Contaminated Soils and Tailings along Whitewood Creek, South Dakota
R825549C037 Formation and Transformation of Pesticide Degradation Products Under Various Electron Acceptor Conditions
R825549C038 The Effect of Redox Conditions on Transformations of Carbon Tetrachloride
R825549C039 Remediation of Soil Contaminated with an Organic Phase
R825549C040 Intelligent Process Design and Control for the Minimization of Waste Production and Treatment of Hazardous Waste
R825549C041 Heavy Metals Removal from Contaminated Water Solutions
R825549C042 Metals Soil Pollution and Vegetative Remediation
R825549C043 Fate and Transport of Munitions Residues in Contaminated Soil
R825549C044 The Role of Metallic Iron in the Biotransformation of Chlorinated Xenobiotics
R825549C045 Use of Vegetation to Enhance Bioremediation of Surface Soils Contaminated with Pesticide Wastes
R825549C046 Fate and Transport of Heavy Metals and Radionuclides in Soil: The Impacts of Vegetation
R825549C047 Vegetative Interceptor Zones for Containment of Heavy Metal Pollutants
R825549C048 Acid-Producing Metalliferous Waste Reclamation by Material Reprocessing and Vegetative Stabilization
R825549C049 Laboratory and Field Evaluation of Upward Mobilization and Photodegradation of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-P-Dioxins and Furans in Soil
R825549C050 Evaluation of Biosparging Performance and Process Fundamentals for Site Remediation
R825549C051 Field Scale Bioremediation: Relationship of Parent Compound Disappearance to Humification, Mineralization, Leaching, Volatilization of Transformaiton Intermediates
R825549C052 Chelating Extraction of Heavy Metals from Contaminated Soils
R825549C053 Application of Anaerobic and Multiple-Electron-Acceptor Bioremediation to Chlorinated Aliphatic Subsurface Contamination
R825549C054 Application of PGNAA Remote Sensing Methods to Real-Time, Non-Intrusive Determination of Contaminant Profiles in Soils
R825549C055 Design and Development of an Innovative Industrial Scale Process to Economically Treat Waste Zinc Residues
R825549C056 Remediation of Soils Contaminated with Wood-Treatment Chemicals (PCP and Creosote)
R825549C057 Effects of Surfactants on the Bioavailability and Biodegradation of Contaminants in Soils
R825549C058 Contaminant Binding to the Humin Fraction of Soil Organic Matter
R825549C059 Identifying Ground-Water Threats from Improperly Abandoned Boreholes
R825549C060 Uptake of BTEX Compounds by Hybrid Poplar Trees in Hazardous Waste Remediation
R825549C061 Biofilm Barriers for Waste Containment
R825549C062 Plant Assisted Remediation of Soil and Groundwater Contaminated by Hazardous Organic Substances: Experimental and Modeling Studies
R825549C063 Extension of Laboratory Validated Treatment and Remediation Technologies to Field Problems in Aquifer Soil and Water Contamination by Organic Waste Chemicals