In order to know the effect of autoclaving on the heavy metal removal using chitosan, lead removal capacities and removal rates by various chitosans in aqueous solution were compared according to the various autoclaving time. The lead removal efficiencies and removal rates by the autoclaved chitosan were found to be on the order of 15 min(98%) 〉10 min(95%) 〉30 min(83%) 〉5 min(53%) 〉60 min(47%) 〉0 min(22%) chitosan. The molecular weight of chitosan was decreased by the increase of autoclaving time. Therefore, the heavy metal removal capacity was not well correlated to the molecular weight. Langmuir isotherm was well fitted to experimental results of equilibrium adsorption on chitosan. In order to examine the process of lead removal by the autoclaved chitosan, TEMs, SEMs and FT-IR analyses were used. The surface of autoclaved chitosan was much more porous and the lead removal was mainly occurred on the surface of chitosan. The structure of autoclaved chitosan was same as that of controlled chitosan.

In order to examine the pre-treatment effect of crab shell on Pb2+ removal by crab shell in aqueous solution, acid and alkali pre-treated crab shell were used. Electron microscopy techniques such as TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and SEM (scanning electron microscopy), and EDX (energy dispersive X-ray) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometry techniques were used to investigate the process of Pb2+ removal by acid and alkali pre-treated crab shell. The Pb2+ removal by acid pre-treated crab shell was much lower than that by untreated crab shell because of the decrease of CaCO3 from the crab shell. However, the Pb2+ removal by alkali pre-treated crab shell increased compared to that by untreated crab shell. The results were confirmed by TEM, SEM, EDX and FTIR.

Several effects on Pb2+ removal by crab shell from aqueous solution were investigated. As the increase of initial Pb2+ concentration and decrease of initial crab shell concentration, the time required to reach an equilibrium state and the residual Pb2+ concentration increased. In our experimental ranges, the optimum initial Pb2+ concentration and crab shell concentration were below 103 mg/l and over 0.5 mg/l, respectively. Also, in order to investigate the mechanism of Pb2+ removal by crab shell in aqueous solution, the crab shell was compared with chitosan and chitin on aspects of Pb2+ removal capacity and Pb2+ removal rate. The Pb2+ removal by crab shell was greater than that by chitin and chitosan. The role of chitin was not so great in Pb2+ removal by crab shell. The Pb2+ removal by chitosan was not exactly correlated to the molecular weight of chitosan.

Biosorption of Pb was evaluated for plants, Persicaria chinensis, Oenanthe javanica and Salvinia natans. The adsorption equilibrium was reached in about lhr for Pb and the highest adsorption capacity was 150㎎ Pb/g biomass at S. natans. Pb adsorption process showed a pseudo second order irreversible reaction. The highest initial adsorption rate was 2000㎎ Pb/g biomass/hr at O. javanica. In spite of pH variation, Pb adsorption capacity by P. chinensis was maintained uniformly. When light metals concentrations were increased in the solution, Pb was selectively adsorbed. The selectivity of mixture solution showed the adsorption order of Pb>Cu>Cr>Cd. The Pb adsorption capacity of P. chinensis pretreated with NaOH was increased by 30% in comparison with that of no treatment.

A study on the removal of Pb ion from Pb-contaminated soil was carried out, using ex-situ extraction process. Tartaric acid (TA) and iminodiacetic acid sodium salt (IDA) as a washing agent were evaluated as a function of concentration, reaction time, mixing ratio of washing agent and recycling of washing agent. TA showed a better extraction performance than IDA. The optimum washing condition of TA and IDA were in the ratio of 1 : 15 and 1 : 20 between soil and acid solution during 1 hr reaction. The total concentrations of Pb ion by TA and IDA at three repeated extraction, were 368.8 ppm and 267.5 ppm, respectively. The recovery of Pb ion from washing solution was achieved by adding calcium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, form the precipitation of lead hydroxide and lead sulfide, and optimum amounts of sodium sulfide and calcium hydroxide were 7 g/ℓ for the TA washing solution and 4 g/ℓ , 5 g/ℓ for the IDA washing solution, respectively. The efficiency of recycle for TA and IDA washing solution were 78.8%, 95.1% and 89.2%, 96.6%, at third extractions under Na2S and Ca(OH)2, respectively.

The variation of microorganisms (activated sludge, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aureobasidium pullulans) caused by the biosorption of Pb2+ was observed by TEM and microscope. By the TEM observation of S. cerevisiae, the plasmolysis and lysis of cell wall or cell membrane were occurred by the penetration of Pb2+ into the inner cellular region. However, in the case of A pullulans, the plasmolysis and lysis of cell wall or cell membrane were not occurred because of the prevention of Pb2+ penetration by the extracelluar polymeric substances (EPS). A flocculation of microorganisms, in the case of A. pullulans, was observed by the Pb2+ accumulation after 3∼4 h and the color was changed from white to black after 1 day. The flocculation of activated sludge was improved by the accumulation Pb2+ after 1 h, however, the floc was broken up and the settling efficiency decreased after 1 day.

The preventive effects of sodium molybdate on the acute toxicity of lead were studied by investigating tissue accumulation of lead, changes of nerve conduction velocity and concentrations of metabolites related to function of sciatic nerve in rats treated with lead, sodium molybdate and both, respectively. In lead-intoxicated rat, the conduction velocity, myo-inositol concentration and Na+/K+ ATPase activity of sciatic nerve were decreased by about 33 %, 48 % and 58 %, respectively. However, sodium molybdate treatment significantly normalized the conduction velocity, Na+/K+ ATPase activity and myo-inositol concentration of sciatic nerve in lead-intoxicated rat. Also, sodium molybdate treatment decreased the contents of lead in blood and sciatic nerve through promotion of urinary excretion of lead. But sodium molybdate treatment did not affect the glucose concentration in sciatic nerve. These results suggest that sodium molybdate prevented peripheral neuropathy not only by reducing lead contents in sciatic nerve and blood, but also by enhancing Na+/K+ ATPase activity in sciatic nerve.

Pb^2+ removal capacity and initial Pb^2+ removal rate were compared between non-biomaterials (granular activated carbon, powdered activated carbon, ion exchange resin, zeolite) and biomaterials (activated sludge, Aureobasidium pullulans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The Pb^2+ removal capacity of biomaterials were greater than that of non-biomaterials, generally. The Pb^2+ removal capacities of non-biomaterials and biomaterials were shown on the order of ion exchange resin > zeolite > granular activated carbon > powdered activated carbon and A. pullulans > S. cerevisiae > activated sludge, respectively. In the initial Pb^2+ removal rate, the non-biomaterials showed powdered activated carbon > granular activated carbon > zeolite > ion exchange resin and the biomaterials showed A. pullulans > activated sludge > S. cerevisiae. Comparing the Pb^2+ removal capacity and initial Pb^2+ removal rate of activated sludge with those of other non-biomaterials and biomaterials, activated sludge may have an availability on the removal of heavy metal ions by the economical and pratical aspects.

The effects of temperature, initial Pb^2+, concentration and initial sludge concentration on the initial Pb^2+ removal rate and maximal Pb^2+ removal amounts in activated sludge, respectively, were investigated. The removal of Pb^2+ in activated sludge was proved to be temperature-dependent process. The initial Pb^2+ removal rate increased from 187.5 to 261.4 ㎎ Pb^2+/g sludge dry weight·min, in response to the promoted temperature from 10℃ to 60℃, while the maximal Pb^2+ removal amount (78.5 ㎎ Pb^2+/g sludge dry weight) occurred at 30℃. As the initial Pb^2+, concentration increased from 36 to 228 ㎎ Pb^2+/L at the constant temperature of 30℃ and initial sludge concentration of 1.5 g sludge dry weight/L, the time to reach an equilibrium state was almost independent of the initial Pb^2+ concentration and the equilibrium Pb^2+ removal amount was increased from 41.9 to 73.6 ㎎ Pb^2+/g sludge dry weight. On the contrary, the equilbrium Pb^2+ removal amount was decreased from 87.7 to 65.3 ㎎ Pb^2+/g sludge dry weight as the increase of initial sludge concentration from 0.22 to 1.76 g sludge dry weight/L.

Greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of lime, fly ash and ash(from rice straw) on the cadmium and lead translocation from soil to radish. The soils with low metal contents(Cd 1.52 ppm and Pb 25.37ppm) were prepared and high metal contents (Cd 8.99 ppm and Pb 50.81ppm) were prepared and amended with 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% each of lime, fly ash and ash. Radishes(Raphanus sativus) were cultivated and cropped on the soils during 25, 50 and 75 days after sprout, and then cadmium and lead contents of radishes were analyzed by roots and tops. The results obtained are as follows. 1. Lime and ash were effective in raising the soil pH, but fly ash was not effective. 2. The growth of radishes were not impaired by the cadmium and lead contamination but, impaired by soil pH 7.5 or more. 3. Cadmium was accumulated very strongly in radishes and the greater concentration was found in than roots, but lead showed no evidence of accumulation in radishes. 4. In general, when the concentrations of lime and ash in soils increased, the uptake of cadmium and lead by radishes decreased, and lime was more effective than ash, while fly ash revealed no effect of reducing the translocation of cadmium and lead from soils to radishes. 5. The uptake of cadmium by radishes decreased more effectively than lead and the uptake of Cd or Ph by radishes grown in the soils with high metal contents decreased more effectively than low metal con tents. 6. Cadmium and lead contents of radishes were negatively correlated with soil pH values and the relationship in cadmium content was stronger than that in lead content.