Biosorption of antimony by brown algae - S. muticum and A. nodosum

Abstract

Environmental contamination by antimony has been described as a critical issue in many articles. In this study, the Sb(III) removal by two brown algae, Sargassum muticum and Aschophylum nodosum, has been tested. Algae were collected in Viana do Castelo beach (Portugal). Preliminary tests were carried out and, based on the results, Sargassum muticum was chosen for subsequent experiments. Kinetic data were described by pseudo second order model. After about four hours contact time the equilibrium was achieved. A slight effect of pH was observed in the removal efficiency of Sb by S. muticum. Adsorption equilibrium isotherm was determined for pH 5. Langmuir model predicted a maximum adsorption capacity of 5.4±0.8 mg/g. The present study revealed that the alga S. muticum can be used as a low-cost adsorbent for antimony removal from aqueous solution.