A comparative study of neodymium sorption by yeast cells

An approximate comparison of neodymium sorption at pH = 1.5, between the well studied Saccharomyces cerevisiae and three other related microorganisms (Kluyveromyces marxianus, Candida colliculosa and Debaromyces hansenii) was made. Although big differences were not observed, a slightly higher neodymium uptake was attained by the latter three kinds of yeasts. Their adsorption isotherms. varying the initial metal concentration from 10 to 200 mg/L, at constant ionic strength (I = 0.1 mol/L), could be fitted equally well, either to Langmuir or Freundlich adsorption model. Their estimated values of q(max) and K-f, which are related to adsorption capacity, ranged from 10-12mg/g and 0.90-1.2 respectively. The corresponding Scatchard plots suggest two types of bonding sites for all yeast studied and common receptor sites between C. colliculosa and D. hansenii. It is also discussed, the feasibility of using all these microorganisms, as potential detoxification tools, wherever contamination of foodstuffs by radionuclides, seems to be probable.