Biosorption of As(III) Ion onRhodococcussp. WB-12: Biomass Characterization and Kinetic Studies

Biomass obtained from arsenic resistant gram positive bacteria Rhodococcus sp. WB-12 was studied for the removal of arsenite from aqueous solution. The biomass sorption characteristic was investigated as a function of biomass doses, contact time, and pH. The Langmiur Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models were applied to describe the biosorption isotherm. The biosorption capacity of the biomass for As(III) was found to be 77.3 mg/g (pH 7.0) using 1 g/L biomass with the contact time of 30 min at 30°C. Kinetic evaluation of experimental data showed biosorption of As (III) followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis indicated the involvement of possible functional groups (-OH, -C=O, -NH) in the arsenite biosorption process. Thus, biomass derived from Rhodococcus sp. WB-12 cells has potential for use as biosorbent for the removal of arsenic from contaminated water.