THE EFFECT OF PULSE VOLTAGE AND CAPACITANCE ON BIOSORPTION OF URANIUMBY BIOMASS DERIVED FROM WHISKEY DISTILLERY SPENT WASH

Biosorption of uranium by residual biomass from The Old Bushmill's Dis tillery Co. Ltd., Bushmills, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, following e xposure to short and intense electric pulses has been examined. The bi omass was prepared from the distillery spent wash and consisted of non -viable yeast and bacterial cells. As shown previously, untreated biom ass had a maximum biosorption capacity of 170 mg uranium/g dry weight biomass. When biosorption reactions were placed between two electrodes and exposed to electric pulses with field strengths ranging from 1.25 -3.25 kV/cm at a capacitance of 25 mu F, biosorption increased from 17 0 mg of uranium to 275 mg uranium/g dry weight biomass. The data were obtained from biosorption isotherm analyses and taken as the degree of biosorption at residual uranium concentrations of 3 mM. In addition, when the capacitance of the electric pulses increased from 0.25 mu F t o 25 mu F at a fixed pulse field strength the degree of biosorption in creased from 210 mg uranium to 240 mg uranium/g dry weight biomass. Th e results suggest that application of short and intense electric pulse s to biosorption reactions may play an important role in enhancing mic robial biosorption of toxic metals/radionuclides from waste water stre ams.