Removal of Cr(III) Ions from Tannery Waste Water Through Fungi

Abstract

Cr(III) removal potential of a wood-rotting fungus viz., Ganoderma lucidum (Curt. Fr.) P. Karst was studied from tannery wastewater. Preliminary laboratory assays indicate an optimum pH, 4.5, stirring intensity 150 rpm with increase in removal rate on increasing initial metal ion concentration (4-20 mg L-1) in the medium. The maximum biosorption capacity of fungus biomass was 2.16 mg g-1 with suitability of Langmuir and Freundlich models on acquired experimental data. In tannery wastewater, fungus showed a maximum of 1.6 mg g-1 biosorption capacity and 43% efficiency. To make this technique practically applicable and economically feasible, the study was further extended by mass cultivated this fungus on agrowastes followed by assessment of its biosorption potency for Cr(III) ions. Rice straw colonized with G. lucidum mycelia could be utilized as an excellent biosorbent thus exhibited 73-76% efficiency for Cr(III) adsorption from tannery wastewater at low concentration of the metal (4-20 mg L-1)

Keywords

• Removal of Cr(III), Waste water, Fungi

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