Removal of metal ions from aqueous solution by polysaccharide produced from Bacillus firmus

This paper deals with adsorption of Pb, Cu and Zn on the polysaccharide produced by Bacillus firmus. The adsorption of metal ions was significantly affected by the initial pH of solution, initial metal ion and polysaccharide concentrations, and presence of other ions in solution. At optimum pH, the uptakes of Pb, Cu and Zn were 98.3%, 74.9% and 61.8%, respectively. The metal ions removal was lower at neutral and generally the initial adsorption rate was rapid and reached equilibrium after 10 min. The process of uptake obeys both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.