Removal of Uranium(VI) from Solution by Fungal Biomass and Fungal Wall-Related Biopolymers
M. GALUN 1,
P. KELLER 1,
D. MALKI 1,
H. FELDSTEIN 2,
E. GALUN 3,
S. M. SIEGEL 4, and
B. Z. SIEGEL 5
1 Department of Botany, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2 Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne, Israel
3 Department of Plant Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
4 Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu 96822
5 Pacific Biomedical Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Penicillium digitatum mycelium can accumulate uranium from aqueous solutions of uranyl chloride. Azide present during the uptake tests does not inhibit the process. Killing the fungal biomass in boiling water or by treatment with alcohols, dimethyl sulfoxide, or potassium hydroxide increases the uptake capability to about 10,000 parts per million (dry weight). Formaldehyde killing does not enhance the uranium uptake. The inference that wall-binding sites were involved led to the testing of uranium uptake by chitin, cellulose, and cellulose derivatives in microcolumns. All were active, especially chitin.
Submitted on May 27, 1982
Revised on September 8, 1982
