CE 521 Environmental Biotechnology

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Term Paper Abstracts (Fall 2000):

A Comparison of Two Biological Methods of Heavy Metal Removal

from Waste Streams: Bioleaching and Biosorption

Brian A. Foulkes

Abstract

Reducing the amount of heavy metals introduced into the environment is currently one of the most important environmental issues. There are numerous physical and chemical ways to remove both soluble and insoluble metals from waste streams, although these methods are expensive and may have additional detrimental effects on the environment. Biological removal of heavy metals is now being investigated to remove heavy metals from various waste streams, since they are more cost effective and safer for the environment. The objectives of this paper are to investigate and compare two different biological methods of heavy metal removal: bioleaching and biosorption. This paper investigates the mechanisms these processes employ to remove metals from waste streams. Both bioleaching and biosorption experiments and procedures are described in detail. In addition this paper contains examples of applications for each process and the types of waste streams that are best suited for each process.

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