Fabrication and Application of BC/Fe₃O₄ Composite via In Situ Synthesis: From Characterization to Multi-Metal Selective Adsorption

Abstract:

The adsorption behavior of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Cr³⁺ from aqueous solutions onto bacterial cellulose/magnetite (BC/Fe₃O₄) composite in multiple systems was systematically investigated, with particular focus on competitive adsorption and inorganic ion effects. The BC/Fe₃O₄ composite demonstrated significant adsorption capacity for the three heavy metals through mechanisms involving surface complexation and electrostatic interactions. Binary and ternary competitive adsorption studies revealed that the adsorption capacity followed the sequence of Pb²⁺ (0.847 mmol/g) > Cu²⁺ (0.673 mmol/g) > Cr³⁺ (0.556 mmol/g), correlating inversely with their hydration energies. The presence of inorganic ions (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) showed inhibitory effects on heavy metal adsorption, primarily due to competition for adsorption sites. Conversely, Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ enhanced adsorption performance through synergistic effects. Notably, Pb²⁺ adsorption remained relatively unaffected by competing ions due to its strong affinity for BC/Fe₃O₄, while Cr³⁺ showed unique behavior in competitive systems. EDTA demonstrated superior desorption efficiency compared to HNO₃, with efficiencies ranging from 61.2% to 68.4%. This study highlights the potential of BC/Fe₃O₄ composite as an effective adsorbent for heavy metal removal from complex water matrices.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 1155)
• Pages: 121-133
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-h0nWuc
• Online since: August 2025
• Authors: Dien Ngoc Thanh Van, Thi My Hao Nguyen, Nhan Tu Le Tan*, Dinh Quan Nguyen
• Keywords: BC/Fe₃O₄ Composite, Competitive, Desorption, Heavy Metals, Inorganic Ions

References

[1] K.F.H. YEO, C. Li, H. Zhang, J. Chen, W. Wang, Y. Dong, Arsenic Removal from Contaminated Water Using Natural Adsorbents: A Review. Coatings, 11(11) (2021), 1407.

DOI: 10.3390/coatings11111407

[2] M.O. Asare, J. O. Afriyie, Ancient mining and metallurgy as the origin of Cu, Ag, Pb, Hg, and Zn contamination in soils: A review. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 232(6) (2021), 240.

DOI: 10.1007/s11270-021-05166-4

[3] P.V. Daniel, M. Kamthan, S. Thakur, P. Mondal,. Molecular pathways dysregulated by Pb2+ exposure prompts pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction. Toxicology research, 11(1) (2022),206-214.

DOI: 10.1093/toxres/tfab121

[4] M. Nujić and M. Habuda-Stanić, Toxic Metal Ions in Drinking Water and Effective Removal Using Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite, A New Gener. Mater. Graphene Appl. Water Technol. 1 (2019) 373–395.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-75484-0_15

[5] Z. F. Xue, W. C. Cheng, L. Wang, Y. X. Xie, P. Qin, C. Shi, Immobilizing lead in aqueous solution and loess soil using microbially induced carbonate/phosphate precipitation (MICP/MIPP) under harsh pH environments. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 480 (2022), 135884.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135884

[6] H. Xiang, X. Min, C. J. Tang, and F. Zhao, Recent advances in membrane filtration for heavy metal removal from wastewater: A mini review, J. Water Process Eng. 49 (2022) 103023.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.103023

[7] I. R. Chowdhury, S. Chowdhury, M. A. J. Mazumder, A. Al-Ahmed, Removal of lead ions (Pb2+) from water and wastewater: a review on the low-cost adsorbents. Applied Water Science, 12(8) (2022), 185.

DOI: 10.1007/s13201-022-01703-6

[8] R. Panek, M. Medykowska, M. Wiśniewska, K. Szewczuk-Karpisz, K. Jędruchniewicz, M. Franus, Simultaneous removal of Pb2+ and Zn2+ heavy metals using fly ash Na-X zeolite and its carbon Na-X (C) composite. Materials, 14(11) (2021), 2832.

DOI: 10.3390/ma14112832

[9] A. Malik and A. Aleem, Incidence of metal and antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas spp. from the river water, agricultural soil irrigated with wastewater and groundwater, Environ. Monit. Assess. 178 (2021) 293–308.

DOI: 10.1007/s10661-010-1690-2

[10] G. Editors et al., Synthesis of Ferromagnetic Nanocomposites from Nanocrystalline Cellulose and Characterization as an Adsorbent to Remove Lead in the Water, Chem. Eng. Trans. 97 (2022) 19–24.

[11] B. Tran Pham Ngoc et al., Synthesis of Ferromagnetic Nanocomposites from Nanocrystalline Cellulose and Characterization as an Adsorbent to Remove Lead in the Water, Chem. Eng. Trans. 97 (2022) 19–24.

[12] J. A. Cruz Valdez, A. Aviles Martinez, J. Vallejo Montesinos, E. Perez, R. Patino-Herrera, , Maximizing Propylene Separation from Propane by Extractive Distillation with Aqueous N‐Methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as Separating Agent. Chemical Engineering & Technology, 44(9) (2021), 1726-1736.

DOI: 10.1002/ceat.202100203

[13] M. Musah, Y. Azeh, J. T. Mathew, M. T. Umar, Z. Abdulhamid, A. I. Muhammad, Adsorption kinetics and isotherm models: a review. CaJoST, 4(1) (2022), 20-26.

DOI: 10.4314/cajost.v4i1.3

[14] T. S. Khayyun, and A. H. Mseer , Comparison of the experimental results with the Langmuir and Freundlich models for copper removal on limestone adsorbent. Applied Water Science, 9(8) (2019), 170.

DOI: 10.1007/s13201-019-1061-2

[15] M. Mabuza, K. Premlall, M. O. Daramola. Modelling and thermodynamic properties of pure CO2 and flue gas sorption data on South African coals using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and extended Langmuir isotherm models. International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, 9(1) (2022), 45.

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1019889/v1

[16] Dawn, R., et al, Origin of magnetization in silica-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles revealed by soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Brazilian Journal of Physics 52.3 (2022): 99.

DOI: 10.1007/s13538-022-01102-x

[17] T. G. Volova et al., Bacterial Cellulose (BC) and BC Composites: Production and Properties, Nanomater. 12 (2022) 192.

[18] S. H. Omar, R. M. Yunus, M. M. R. Khan, M. M. Saari, Ferromagnetic Enhancement of Microcrystalline Cellulose via Chemical Reduction Method. Journal of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology, 9(2) (2023), 33-40.

DOI: 10.15282/jceib.v9i2.9253

[19] M. Ma, G. Liu, Z. Yang, G. Zhang, First-principles calculations of Pb2+ adsorption by halogen-doped SnS2. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 686 (2024), 416054.

DOI: 10.1016/j.physb.2024.416054

[20] Gnanasekar, T., et al., Improvement in photo-device properties of CuO thin films for opto-electronic applications: effects of (Ni, Co) co-doping Physica Scripta, 97(12) (2022), 125802.

DOI: 10.1088/1402-4896/ac9868

[21] H. Ma, L. Chen, W. Guo, L. Wang, J. Zhang, D. Zhang, Synergistic Promotion of Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer by Biochar and Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles to Enhance Methanogenesis in Anaerobic Digestion of Vegetable Waste. Fermentation, 10(12) (2024), 656.

DOI: 10.3390/fermentation10120656

[22] G. Sun, F. Fu, B. Tang, Fate of metal-EDTA complexes during ferrihydrite aging: Interaction of metal-EDTA and iron oxides. Chemosphere, 291 (2022), 132791.

DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132791

[23] J. Mittal, R. Ahmad, A. Mariyam, V.K. Gupta, A. Mittal, Expeditious and enhanced sequestration of heavy metal ions from aqueous environment by papaya peel carbon: a green and low-cost adsorbent. Desalination and Water Treatment, 210 (2021), 365-376.

DOI: 10.5004/dwt.2021.26562