Biosorption is being demonstrated as a useful alternative to conventional systems for the removal of toxic metals from industrial effluents. Metal affinity to the biomass can be increase by pre treating the biomass with different chemicals. Current study was deigned to assess the Ni(II) and CCu(II) removal capability of two microfungi viz. Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus arrhizus. Biomass of both fungal species was pretreated with alkalies, acids and detergents. For the successful application of biosorption crucial parameters like influence of initial metal ion concentration and desorption/reutilization were also performed. To check the practical potential of adsorbents, metal uptake capability of test fungal biosorbents was assessed with real industrial effluents. This book is useful for those who are working on treatment of wastewater using fungal biomass.

Heavy metal pollution removal is now felt more than ever because of currently severe water crises world- wide. As a solution the biosorption technology has recently emerged as economically and practically viable option to conventional technologies by utilizing any natural source of biomass as a biosorbent for the depollution of industrial heavy metal. Of recent, the use of macromycetes (Basidiomycetes) for depollution of heavy metal ions has been gaining advantage due to requirement of minimum care and maintenance during culturing. The present investigation is, therefore designed to evaluate competence of Pleurotus ostreatus, Schizophyllum commune and Ganoderma lucidum as a biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals ions from aqueous solution. Experiments were performed as a function of pH, biomass dose, equilibrium time, stirring intensity, temperature and initial metal ion concentrations. Spent biosorbent was regenerated to find out the adsorption potential on reuse. Besides, the fungi were applied to real electroplating and tannery effluents to validate their effectiveness in true processing

Generally studies on adsorption of heavy metal ions by various kinds of biomass types are performed with single-metal-ion solutions. Though, single toxic metallic species rarely exist in wastewaters. While, presence of multiple metal ions often causes an interactive effect, whereas insufficient attention seems to have been given to this problem. Hence this study aims to investigate the biosorption of divalent metal ions viz. Pb, Cd and Cu from single, binary and multi-component aqueous solutions using biomass of some fungi and plants.