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Effect of pH on hexavalent and total chromium removal from aqueous solutions by avocado shell using batch and continuous systems

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Abstract

Solution pH appears to be the most important regulator of the biosorptive removal of chromium ions from aqueous solutions. This work presents a kinetic study of the effects of solution pH on Cr(VI) and total chromium removal from aqueous solution by Hass avocado shell (HAS) in batch and continuous packed bed column systems. Different Cr(VI) and total chromium removal performances of HAS were obtained in pH-shift batch, pH-controlled batch, and continuous systems. These results emphasize the great importance of determining the most appropriate pH for Cr(VI) and total chromium removal, considering the operational mode of the proposed large-scale treatment system. Total chromium biosorption batch kinetics was well described by the Elovich model, whereas in the continuous system, the fitness of the kinetic models to the experimental data was pH dependent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and kinetic studies clearly indicated that the reaction mechanism of Cr(VI) with HAS was the reductive biotransformation of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), which was partially released to the aqueous solution and partially biosorbed onto HAS.

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Acknowledgements

The CONACyT awarded a graduate scholarship to one of the authors (E.A.-G.). E.C.-U. holds grants from COFAA-IPN, EDI-IPN, and SNI-CONACyT.

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the scientific team of the Centro de Nanociencias y Micro y Nanotecnologías, IPN, as well as the financial support provided by the Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado, IPN.

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  1. Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Avenida Wilfrido Massieu s/n, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Delegación Gustavo A. Madero, 07738, Mexico City, Mexico

    Erick Aranda-García & Eliseo Cristiani-Urbina

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  1. Erick Aranda-García
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  2. Eliseo Cristiani-Urbina
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Correspondence to Eliseo Cristiani-Urbina.

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Aranda-García, E., Cristiani-Urbina, E. Effect of pH on hexavalent and total chromium removal from aqueous solutions by avocado shell using batch and continuous systems. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 3157–3173 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0248-z

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