Magnetically Functionalized Moss Biomass as Biosorbent for Efficient Co2+ Ions and Thioflavin T Removal

Martin Pipíška; Simona Zarodňanská; Miroslav Horník; Libor Ďuriška; Marián Holub; Ivo Šafařík

doi:10.3390/ma13163619

Magnetically Functionalized Moss Biomass as Biosorbent for Efficient Co²⁺ Ions and Thioflavin T Removal

Materials (Basel). 2020 Aug 16;13(16):3619. doi: 10.3390/ma13163619.

Authors

Martin Pipíška¹, Simona Zarodňanská¹, Miroslav Horník², Libor Ďuriška³, Marián Holub⁴, Ivo Šafařík^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Education, Trnava University in Trnava, Priemyselná 4, P.O. Box 9, SK-918 43 Trnava, Slovakia.
² Department of Ecochemistry and Radioecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Nám. J. Herdu 2, SK-917 01 Trnava, Slovakia.
³ Institute of Materials Science, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, J. Bottu 25, SK-917 24 Trnava, Slovakia.
⁴ Institute of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, SK-042 00 Košice, Slovakia.
⁵ Department of Nanobiotechnology, Biology Centre, ISB, CAS, Na Sádkách 7, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
⁶ Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacky University, Šlechtitelů 27, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Abstract

Microwave synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles and microparticles were used to prepare a magnetically responsive biosorbent from Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus moss for the rapid and efficient removal of Co²⁺ ions and thioflavin T (TT). The biocomposite was extensively characterized using Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. The magnetic biocomposite showed very good adsorption properties toward Co²⁺ ions and TT e.g., rapid kinetics, high adsorption capacity (218 μmol g^-1 for Co and 483 μmol g^-1 for TT), fast magnetic separation, and good reusability in four successive adsorption-desorption cycles. Besides the electrostatic attraction between the oxygen functional moieties of the biomass surface and both Co²⁺ and TT ions, synergistic interaction with the -FeOH groups of iron oxides also participates in adsorption. The obtained results indicate that the magnetically responsive biocomposite can be a suitable, easily separable, and recyclable biosorbent for water purification.

Keywords: biosorption; cobalt; magnetic biosorbent; microwave synthesis; reusability; thioflavin T.

Abstract

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