article · Polymers
Hexavalent chromium is a toxic water pollutant requiring effective environmental remediation. A nanocomposite adsorbent can be fabricated by combining chitosan derived from prawn shells with alginate extracted from the brown seaweed Sargassum linifolium. Cross-linking these biopolymers via a microemulsion protocol yields negatively charged nanoparticles with an average diameter of 311.2 nanometres. In parallel, iron nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 21.4 nanometres are phycosynthesised using seaweed extract. Conjugating the biopolymer nanoparticles with these phycosynthesised iron nanoparticles achieves homogenous distribution and stabilisation of the metal within the polymer matrix. When tested under batch adsorption across varying pH levels, adsorbent doses, contact times, and initial concentrations, the nanocomposite demonstrates high efficiency. Optimal performance achieved complete removal of hexavalent chromium at a pH of 5.0, an adsorbent dose of 4 grams per litre, a contact time of 210 minutes, and an initial concentration of 75 parts per million.
Hexavalent chromium is a severe environmental pollutant found in contaminated water supplies that poses substantial toxic risks. Developing natural, biopolymer-based adsorbents loaded with green-synthesised iron nanoparticles provides an effective pathway for water remediation. Using materials sourced from seaweed and seafood processing waste offers a biological approach to capturing heavy metals and purifying polluted aqueous environments.
This work could enable sustainable water treatment systems targeting heavy metal remediation, particularly for industrial wastewater processors dealing with hexavalent chromium. Given that the findings are based on laboratory-scale batch adsorption experiments, the technology is at an applied and tested stage of early experimental research. Further scale-up, continuous-flow trials, and regeneration assessments would be required before implementation in municipal or industrial water treatment facilities.
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Biopolymers and nanomaterials are ideal candidates for environmental remediation and heavy metal removal. As hexavalent chromium (Cr<sup>6+</sup>) is a hazardous toxic pollutant of water, this study innovatively aimed to synthesize nanopolymer composites and load them with phycosynthesized Fe nanoparticles for the full Cr<sup>6+</sup> removal from aqueous solutions. The extraction of chitosan (Cht) from prawn shells and alginate (Alg) from brown seaweed (<i>Sargassum linifolium</i>) was achieved with standard characteristics. The tow biopolymers were combined and cross-linked (via microemulsion protocol) to generate nanoparticles from their composites (Cht/Alg NPs), which had a mean diameter of 311.2 nm and were negatively charged (-23.2 mV). The phycosynthesis of iron nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) was additionally attained using <i>S. linifolium</i> extract (SE), and the Fe-NPs had semispherical shapes with a 21.4 nm mean diameter. The conjugation of Cht/Alg NPs with SE-phycosynthesized Fe-NPs resulted in homogenous distribution and stabilization of metal NPs within the polymer nanocomposites. Both nanocomposites exhibited high efficiency as adsorbents for Cr<sup>6+</sup> at diverse conditions (e.g., pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and initial ion concentration) using batch adsorption evaluation; the most effectual conditions for adsorption were a pH value of 5.0, adsorbent dose of 4 g/L, contact time of 210 min and initial Cr<sup>6+</sup> concentration of 75 ppm. These factors could result in full removal of Cr<sup>6+</sup> from batch experiments. The composited nanopolymers (Cht/Alg NPs) incorporated with SE-phycosynthesized Fe-NPs are strongly recommended for complete removal of Cr<sup>6+</sup> from aqueous environments.
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DOI: 10.3390/polym13152481
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