ABSTRACT
Copper is one of the heavy metals that are effluent from many industrial activities, such as plating baths, pulp and paper, fertilizers, mining, petroleum industries, and metal cleaning. Copper concentration in these effluents can reach up to 1000 mg/L. Moreover, copper has been found as a contaminant in some food products including liver, chocolate, mushrooms, shellfish, and nut. The presence of copper even at low concentration can have serious ecological and health hazards as a result of its solubility and mobility. In humans, copper can cause serious problems such as anemia, stomach intestinal distress, and kidney damage. Due to these serious problems, the maximum concentration of copper in industrial effluents and in wastewater has been subjected to stringent standards. Enforcement of these stringent standards was the driving force for active research on copper removal. Different techniques have been formulated for the removal of copper from wastewater. These methods include coagulation, solvent extraction, adsorption, chemical precipitation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, membrane processes, and biosorption. In this chapter, the environmental impact of copper on humans, animals, and plants is presented. The different conventional remediation methods to remove copper from wastewater are introduced. Bioremediation of copper is the focus of this chapter. The different parameters affecting copper bioremediation, such as temperature, pH, contact time, and copper concentration, are discussed.
