IMMOBILIZATION OF TRICHOSPORON CUTANEUM R57 CELLS ONTO SiO2/HPC HYBRID MATERIALS AND REMOVAL OF Mn2+ IONS.

New silica hybrid materials containing tetraethoxy siloxane (TEOS) as inorganic precursor and hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) as an organic compound were prepared. The quantity of organic substance was 5 and 50 wt% to silica. The structure of obtained hybrids was investigated by FT-IR and SEM analysis. The synthesized hybrid materials were applied as matrices for cells immobilization by attachment of filamentous yeast Trichosporon cutaneum R57. This strain showed considerable ability to remove manganese ions from aqueous solutions. The experimental data on the equilibrium specific uptake with free strain cells were used to plot the adsorption isotherm. Kinetic experiments on biosorption of manganese ions with immobilized cells were performed at Mn2+ initial concentrations 275 and 550 mg/L. These values were selected based on the free strain cells performance shown by the adsorption isotherm. A pseudo second order kinetic model was employed to fit the experimental data. Higher specific uptake was established with immobilized cells and higher content of HPC in the immobilization material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]