ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Reduction and Enrichment of Uranium
after Biosorption on Inactivated
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
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1
Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, China
2
Analytical and Testing Center, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
3
Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle, Ministry of Education, Mianyang, China
4
School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
5
School of Environment and Resource, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
6
School of National Defense Science and Technology, Southwest University of Science and Technology,
Mianyang, China
Submission date: 2018-08-11
Final revision date: 2018-11-30
Acceptance date: 2018-12-15
Online publication date: 2019-09-18
Publication date: 2020-01-16
Corresponding author
Faqin Dong
Southwest University of Science and Technology
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(2):1461-1472
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ABSTRACT
Microorganisms not only have a strong biosorption capacity but also can achieve tremendous
volume reduction effects for radionuclide wastes. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the
biosorption characteristics of uranium on inactivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the volume reduction
and enrichment of uranium after biosorption were also studied in combination with the ashing method.
The results revealed that inactivated S. cerevisiae biomass was able to adsorb uranium. The maximum
removal efficiency and biosorption capacity for uranium were 96.8% and 31.8 mg/g, respectively.
The optimum pH for U(VI) removal was 2.75 and U(VI) biosorption was well described by
the Freundlich isotherm model. Thermodynamic investigations showed that biosorption of U(VI) on
inactivated S. cerevisiae was a spontaneous and endothermic process. In the kinetic studies, U(VI)
adsorption on inactivated S. cerevisiae reached an equilibrium in 60 min and followed a pseudo-secondorder
kinetics model. The 100 mg/L of uranium was reduced to less than 0.05 mg/L after 6 rounds
gradient descent adsorption, which was enough to meet the National uranium wastewater discharge
standards. The ashing experiment demonstrated that ashing process resulted in a large volume and
weight reduction ratio as well as enrichment for uranium in the ash. XRD results showed that the species
of uranium that existed in the ash were uranium phosphate and KPUO6·3H2O. Waste volume reduction
and metal enrichment can be obtained by ashing treatment of the biological absorbent. The method may
be beneficial for nuclide and heavy metal disposal treatment in many fields.