Design and development of a biotreatment of E. crassipes for the decontamination of water with Chromium (VI)

Abstract

The use of cellulose materials for the adsorption of heavy metals has increased in favorable results to comply with the removal of these contaminants from water, such as the case of Chromium (VI), being one of the most dangerous heavy metals for the environment and human health. The objective of this research is to design and develop a biotreatment with dry and crushed biomass of E. crassipes for the continuous treatment of Chromium (VI), determining through mathematical modeling the Fick diffusion constant (Kf), based on this constant Fick will establish the performance of the biotreatment and the intraparticle diffusion constant (Ks). The diffusion speed (Kf) of the biomass of E. crassipes chemisorbing Cr (VI) of 0.30 cm/min, also it got the constant of the adsorption capacities (Ks) was 0.0198 s. With (Kf) it can design the treatment systems according to caudal or load greatly contaminated, calibrating the parameters how caudal, volume, or area of contact of the system of treatment. Also with (Ks) will be possible the design and modeling of a treatment system to improve the capacity of adsorptions calibrating the density of the particle and the density of the contact bed of the treatment system. Based on Fick's second law, an equation was designed to determine the reliability and performance of water treatment systems through the E. crassipes plant.