Zinc Biosorption by Seaweed Illustrated by the Zincon Colorimetric Method and the Langmuir Isotherm.

ARECO, M. M.; VALDMAN, E.; DOS SANTOS AFONSO, M

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Lugar: Madison - Wisconsin; Año: 2007 vol. 84 p. 302 - 305

0021-9584

The zincon colorimetric method to determine metal ions in solutions is suitable for analysis of both potable and polluted waters. The zincon colorimetric method is an easy technique for zinc assessment and adds an interesting motivational aspect to study zinc removal by the green algae and the red algae. Green and red algae were collected at Argentina. A typical sorption experiment was carried out in Erlenmeyer flask, applying dry algae to zinc solution. Evaluation of the biosorbent was carried out considering the equilibrium relations. The concentration of free Zn ions in the aqueous solution was determined spectrophotometrically following the modified protocol of Platte and Marcy. Results show that the biosorption kinetic curve tends to stabilize after 60mins, suggesting saturation of the algae binding sites that remove zinc from solution. The experiment promotes biotechnology knowledge that is an emerging technology on cleaning treatment showing the potential of seaweed to remove heavy-metal ions from solution.