BIOSORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF HG(II) INTO BIOFILMANDI KURNIAWAN, ION TARSARDO SIANTURI, ABD AZIZ AMIN, LUTFI NI’MATUS SALAMAH,WRESTI LISTU ANGGAYASTI, SITI MARIYAH ULFA AND MUHAMMAD MUSAAbstract Biosorption is an alternative technology developed to overcome pollution, including heavy metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems. The accuracy of choosing a biosorbent strongly influences the success of biosorption. The organisms that are widely developed as biosorbents are microbes. Microbes live in ecosystems by forming biofilms. Therefore, knowledge related to the mechanism of heavy metal adsorption, such as Hg(II) by biofilms, will contribute to the development ofbiofilm-based biosorption. This study aims to analyze the biosorption characteristics of Hg(II) bybiofilms taken from aquatic ecosystems. The methods used are kinetic adsorption analysis, isotherm adsorption analysis, and FTIR spectra analysis of biofilms. This study indicates that the adsorption process of Hg(II) into the biofilm is a physicochemical process. The adsorption sites that bind Hg(II) are negatively charged sites resulting from the ionization of functional groups such as carboxyl groups present in polymeric biofilms. According to this study, biofilm is an excellent biosorbent to adsorb pollutants such as Hg(II) from aquatic ecosystems. |