Silk Sericin Microparticles as a Biosorbent for Hexavalent Chromium Ion

摘要

Silk sericin (SS) microparticles prepared using the electrospraying method were used for the removal of Cr(VI). SS microparticles exhibited better Cr(VI) adsorption capacity than that of SS macrobeads due to the increased surface area. The optimum pH for Cr(VI) adsorption was 1-2, and the adsorption kinetics followed pseudo second-order kinetics. The adsorption behavior followed three stages: initial external mass transportation, limited intrapar-ticle diffusion and near equilibrium stage. From the isotherm model study, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) model exhibited a very good fit for Cr(VI) adsorption, indicating that SS microparticle has multiple layers and homogeneous active binding sites. The adsorption capacity increased with an increase in the initial Cr(VT) concentration and a decrease in the dosage of the biosorbent.