Removal of oil from water using fungal biomass

The presence of oil in water is of major concern due to its impact on the environment. Various materials, used to remove oil from water, have either exhibited low removal efficiencies or are not selective. The use of biomaterials such as bacteria, fungi, or plant biomass, to adsorb organic substances, has been examined to a limited extent; the biosorption of oil from water by fungal biomass has not been investigated, so far.;Detailed batch adsorption studies were therefore conducted to remove oil from water using M. rouxii biomass by varying the solution pH, the adsorbent dosage, the oil concentration and the temperature. Adsorption of the three oils on to the M. rouxii biomass followed the pseudo second-order model. On further analysis, adsorption process was found to have followed the intra-particle diffusion mechanism along with boundary layer diffusion. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were able to adequately describe the equilibrium isotherms at different temperatures (5, 15, 22, and 30 `C). Thermodynamic analysis showed adsorption to be spontaneous and endothermic. The activation parameters indicated that adsorption was likely diffusion controlled. Chemical modifications of the biomass and the FTIR analysis showed that carboxyl and amino groups, present on the M. rouxii cell surface were involved in oil sorption.;A continuous column study was carried out using immobilized M. rouxii biomass beads as a biosorbent for the removal of the three oils from water. The Thomas, Yan and Yoon-Nelson models were found to be suitable in describing column behavior for all three studied oils. Following column regeneration using de-ionized water, the beads could be reused to remove oil to that of its initial capacity. Investigations on the breakdown mechanisms and flow characteristics indicated the possible sequential occurrence of coalescence and filtration in the immobilized M. rouxii biomass bed.;In summary, non-viable M. rouxii biomass was found to be an effective medium for oil removal. This research improves our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to adsorption of oil by the biomass. Immobilized biomass can be employed in packed bed columns and re-used to increase their economic attractiveness. The fundamental understanding of the breakthrough curve behavior is important for process scale-up under realistic conditions. Further, the study provides a better knowledge on oil-in-water emulsion flow in coalescing beds. These findings are significant for future development of filtration systems in coalescing oil droplets that can be used for emulsion separation.;The present study evaluated the potential of non-viable Mucor rouxii biomass with respect to the removal of three representative oils (Standard Mineral Oil (SMO), Canola Oil (CO) and Bright-Edge 80 cutting oil) from water via a series of batch and column adsorption experiments. A preliminary batch adsorption study was conducted to evaluate oil removal capacities of two non-viable fungal biomasses, Mucor rouxii and Absidia coerulea. Non- viable M. rouxii biomass was found to be more effective than A. coerulea biomass in removing oil from water. A fractional factorial design analysis was conducted to screen significant factors influencing the removal of three oils from water using M. rouxii biomass. pH of the solution was observed to be the most influencing parameter. Temperature had an effect on SMO and Bright-Edge 80 removal while the adsorbent dose was found to influence the removal of SMO.