Effects of bloom-forming cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances on the adsorption of cadmium onto kaolinite: behaviors and possible mechanisms

Xiaolin Kuang, Jihai Shao*, Anwei Chen, Si Luo, Liang Peng, Genyi Wu, Ji Dong Gu

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cyanobacterial blooms result in high level of cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in water. The effects of bloom-forming cyanobacterial EPS on the distribution of Cd(II) in the interface between sediment and water is unknown. Clay is a main component in sediment. The effects of EPS, originated from a typical bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystisaeruginosa, on the adsorption and desorption characteristics of Cd(II) by kaolinite were investigated in this study. Results of XRD analysis indicated that cyanobacterial EPS bound on the surface of kaolinite. The composite of kaolinite + EPS showed higher adsorption capacity toward Cd(II) than pure kaolinite, and hydroxyl groups were involved in the adsorption processes. The data for the adsorption of Cd(II) by kaolinite are well fitted by both Langmuir model and Freundlich model, whereas only Freundlich model well describes the adsorption data of Cd(II) by the composite of kaolinite + EPS. The adsorption of Cd(II) onto kaolinite was an exothermic process, but it became an endothermic process after EPS incorporation. Results of desorption showed that EPS incorporation increased the adsorption of kaolinite toward Cd(II) through physical adsorption, ion exchange and complexation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number542
JournalSpringerPlus
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cadmium
  • Extracellular polymeric substances
  • Kaolinite
  • Microcystisaeruginosa

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