The discharges enriched with heavy metals, particularly Cr(VI), are a serious environmental problem. In this work, it is presented the use of biosorbents from eggshells membranes of ostrich, quail, duck and chicken; the membranes were easily prepared and studied for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Maximum uptake of 1.41 mmol g⁻¹ membrane permitted the identification of ostrich membrane as the material with the highest Cr(VI) uptake. N₂ adsorption experiments permitted to classify ostrich membranes as mesoporous materials, since they had pore size of 14.8 nm. This represented an advantage on the nature of these membranes to be used as biosorbents with respect to other membranes. The adsorption isotherm models such as Langmuir and Freundlich were verified using experimental data. Langmuir model described the adsorption process satisfactorily at pH 1 and 2 whereas Freundlich model fitted data better at pH 3 and 5. The adsorption kinetic data were adjusted to a pseudo-second order kinetic model. TGA results permitted demonstrating a low thermal stability of ostrich membrane, since it starts decomposing at around 50°C due to the fact that membranes have about 60% protein. Through SEM microscopy was possible to observe the morphology of the membrane surfaces before and after Cr(VI) uptake which reflects the textural characteristics of the biosorbent. FTIR and XPS analyses suggested that Cr was adsorbed on ostrich membranes through the amine groups of proteins conforming the fibers of membranes. Despite the oxygen shows higher electronegativity than N, Cr shows more preference toward N due to fact that pH conditions favor the positive charges on the surface of the membrane. Our results make evident that this waste material is a novel and efficient option for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions.

Concentrations of metals such as copper in alcoholic beverages must be strictly regulated due to negative effects ranging from beverage spoilage and hazing, to sensorial and health consequences. In this paper, a voltammetric alternative is presented for the analysis of copper in tequila, a Mexican spirituous alcoholic beverage. Anodic Stripping Voltammetry is applied and the standard addition method is used to quantify copper in this beverage at concentrations commonly present in tequila (<10 ppm) without sample pretreatment. Copper can be reduced and then oxidized quantitatively and reproducibly. A comparison of Anodic Stripping Voltammetry with Atomic Absorption Spectrometry is presented.