Fungi aerobic granules and use of Fe(III)-treated granules for biosorption of antimony(V)

• Fungi aerobic granules were cultivated with glucose as carbon source at pH 4.5.
• Single fungus Geotrichum fragrans composed most cultivated granules.
• Fungi granules were treated with 0.1 M FeCl3 for 24 h.
• Fe-treated granules had much higher adsorption capacity of Sb(V) than original ones.
• Fe(III) treatment converted fungi aerobic granules to cost-effective biosorbent.

This study cultivated fungi aerobic granules in sequencing batch reactor with glucose as carbon source at pH 4.5, which were mainly composed of single fungus Geotrichum fragrans. Iron precipitate was then produced with 0.1 M FeCl3 onto the granules surface, accompanied with removal of Ca, Mg, K and Na from the biomass matrix. The Fe(III)-treated granules had 4.3-folds higher adsorption capacity of antimony(V) than the original granules, peaked at pH 3.4 at a Langmuir maximum capacity of 111 mg g−1 of dry mass. Fe(III) treatment was for the first time applied to convert fungi aerobic granules to cost-effective biosorbent for Sb(V).