Equilibrium sorption study of Cr (VI) from multimetal systems in aqueous solutions by Lyngbya putealis

This article extends the study on the treatment of industrial effluent by considering the competitive biosorption in tertiary and quaternary metal system (cadmium, lead, nickel and chromium), by an indigenously isolated cyanobacterial strain, Lyngbya putealis HH-15 isolated from metal contaminated site. The effect of the presence of other metal ions on chromium biosorption were investigated in terms of equilibrium isotherms and results indicated that the uptake capacity of biosorbent is influenced by the number and type of metal ions in solution. The Langmuir model was found to be better applicable to the experimental data as compared to Freundlich as inferred from high value of coefficient of determination. On the basis of experimental results and model parameters, it can be inferred that the biosorbent which has quite high biosorption capacity in single metal system can still be utilized for the removal of chromium from aqueous solution in the presence of other metals like cadmium, lead and nickel, though with a reduced efficiency.