Microbial Removal of Pb(II) Using an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) Reactor

The main objective of this study was to achieve the continuous biorecovery and bioreduction of Pb(II) using an industrially obtained consortia as a biocatalyst. An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was used in the treatment process. The bioremediation technique that was applied made use of a yeast extract as the microbial substrate and Pb(NO3)(2) as the source of Pb(II). The UASB reactor exhibited removal efficiencies of between 90 and 100% for the inlet Pb concentrations from 80 to 2000 ppm and a maximum removal rate of 1948.4 mg/(L center dot d) was measured. XRD and XPS analyses of the precipitate revealed the presence of Pb-0, PbO, PbS and PbSO4. Supporting experimental work carried out included growth measurements, pH, oxidation-reduction potentials and nitrate levels.

Automated summary

The study aimed to continuously biorecover and bioreduce Pb(II) using industrial consortia as a biocatalyst in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. The bioremediation technique employed yeast extract as a microbial substrate and Pb(NO3)(2) as the Pb(II) source, achieving removal efficiencies of 90-100% for Pb concentrations from 80 to 2000 ppm in the UASB reactor. XRD and XPS analyses of the precipitate showed the presence of Pb-0, PbO, PbS, and PbSO4, with supporting experiments measuring growth, pH, oxidation-reduction potentials, and nitrate levels.