Application of polysaccharide biopolymers as natural adsorbent in sample preparation

Preparing samples for analyses is perhaps the most important part to analyses. The varied functional groups present on the surface of biopolymers bestow them appropriate adsorption properties. Properties like biocompatibility, biodegradability, presence of different surface functional group, high porosity, considerable absorption capacity for water, the potential for modification, etc. turn biopolymers to promising candidates for varied applications. In addition, one of the most important parts of determination of an analyte in a matrix is sample preparation step and the efficiency of this step in solid phase extraction methods is largely dependent on the type of adsorbent used. Due to the unique properties of biopolymers they are considered an appropriate choice for using as sorbent in sample preparation methods that use from a solid adsorbent. Many review articles have been published on the application of diverse adsorbents in sample preparation methods, however despite the numerous advantages of biopolymers mentioned; review articles in this field are very few. Thus, in this paper we review the reports in different areas of sample preparation that use polysaccharides-based biopolymers as sorbents for extraction and determination of diverse organic and inorganic analytes.

Structure and properties of cellulose/HAP nanocomposite hydrogels

The exploiting of abundant natural polymers as potential absorbents for heavy metal ions is attracting. Cellulose is the most abundant natural polymer and exhibits amazing properties such as high chemical stability, hydrophilicity and biodegradability. However, some properties of pure cellulose-based materials including adsorbability are usually not enough, so it is important to improve their properties to broaden their applications. In the present work, hydroxyapitite (HAP) nanoparticles were prepared and introduced to improve the cellulose hydrogel (CG) properties. The structure and properties of the resultant cellulose/HAP nanocomposite hydrogels (CHG) were characterized and studied systematically. The results indicated that HAP nanoparticles was fixed and distributed evenly in CG. The maximum decomposition temperature increased gradually from 334.6 °C for CG to 346.7 °C for CHG, and the compressive strength increased gradually from 100 kPa for CG to 570 kPa for CHG with the increase of HAP content, respectively. Moreover, the adsorption capacity (q_e) value of CHG towards Cu²⁺ could reach more than 300% higher than that of CG. As a potential absorbent, CHG exhibited relatively good recyclability of more than 78% after 10 cycles. Therefore, the introduction of HAP improved the properties of CG greatly, showing wide potential applications.

Chemically modified rice husk as an effective adsorbent for removal of palladium ions

Bio-matrix of rice husk and Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM-41) was modified with alizarin red S for preconcentration of Pd²⁺ prior flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination. The prepared bio-matrix (RH@MCM-41@ARS) was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDX) and surface area studies. The impact of different parameters (solution pH, amount of sorbent, contact time, sample volume, initial Pd²⁺ concentration and diverse ions) on the uptake of Pd²⁺ were evaluated. The maximum adsorption capacity of Pd²⁺ onto RH@MCM-41@ARS was 198.2 mg g^-1 at optimum conditions. Applying the optimized procedure as a preconcentration step led to limit of detection of 0.13 μg L^-1 and dynamic analytical range up to 500 μg L^-1. The sorbent was regenerated by 0.5 mol L^-1 thiourea for at least 10 cycles without significant reduction of adsorption capacity. The method was applied for preconcentration of Pd²⁺ from real samples.

Preparation of lactic acid modified cellulose nanoparticles by microwave heating for preconcentration of copper from blood and food samples

In this study, nano-sized cellulose modified with lactic acid (MW-Ce-LA) was prepared with the assistant of microwave then used for the adsorption of Cu²⁺ from real samples. This modified cellulose was characterized by means of FTIR, TEM, XRD, and elemental analysis. ICP-OES was used for determination of Cu²⁺. The effect of pH, adsorption times, temperature, sorbent dose, and initial adsorbate concentration were studied to detect the ideal adsorption condition. Langmuir model proved to be the best to fit the adsorption isotherm experiments with maximum adsorption capacity of 90.3 mg g^-1 Cu²⁺. Calculated thermodynamic parameters (ΔG° and ΔH°) for adsorption of Cu²⁺ on MW-Ce-LA suggested exothermic and nonspontaneous character of the adsorption process. The reusability tests indicated regeneration of the prepared adsorbent simply using 1 mol L^-1 of HCl. The examined method was used effectively to preconcentrate Cu²⁺ from water, blood, and food samples.

Preconcentration of Lead in Blood and Urine Samples Among Bladder Cancer Patients Using Mesoporous Strontium Titanate Nanoparticles

In this work, mesoporous strontium titanate nanoparticles (SrTiO₃ NPs) were synthesized through a single-step combustion process and were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM-EDX, and TEM. The effects of main parameters that may influence the extraction process (i.e., pH, sorbent amount, time of extraction, eluting agent, and the presence concomitant ions) were investigated. The optimum extraction was achieved at pH 6, 50 mg of sorbent, 20-min shaking time, and 4.0 mL of 0.1 mol L^-1 thiourea as desorption agent. Under these conditions, the maximum adsorption capacity was 155.6 mg g^-1 with a preconcentration factor of 250 (for a 1000 mL sample solution). The calibration graph was linear up to 1000 μg L^-1 and the limit of detection was 1.75 μg L^-1. The precision (as relative standard deviation) was 2.53% (n = 10). The procedure was employed for the preconcentration of Pb²⁺ from blood and urine samples of bladder cancer patients before its determination by FAAS.

Facile fabrication of bimetallic Fe–Mg MOF for the synthesis of xanthenes and removal of heavy metal ions

This work reported the preparation of Mg-MOF, Fe-MOF and Fe–Mg MOF by a solvothermal technique and their characterization with FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM and S_BET analyses. The nanoparticle diameter ranged from 3.1 to 10.9 nm. The acidity of the MOFs was measured by nonaqueous potentiometric titration of n-butylamine. It was observed that the formation of a bimetallic MOF sharply increases the surface acidity and the catalytic activity. The catalytic results of the Fe–Mg MOF catalyzing the synthesis of 14-aryl-14-H-dibenzo[a,j]xanthenes in comparison with those of parent MOFs showed a higher yield of the desired product in a lower time and among various Fe : Mg, the (0.6 : 1) Fe–Mg MOF showed the highest catalytic activity and acidity. Even after the 4^th run, the Fe–Mg MOF catalyst still maintained nearly the initial catalytic activity. The adsorption performance of Mg-MOF, Fe-MOF and Fe–Mg MOF was evaluated by batch experiments. The effect of contact time, the solution pH, the adsorbent dose and the initial concentration of the heavy metal ions was discussed. It was found that the capacity of the bimetallic Fe–Mg MOF for Pb(ii), Cu(ii) and Cd(ii) adsorption was higher than that of the Mg-MOF and Fe-MOF, the kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the isothermal data obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model. The mechanism of the removal of the heavy metal ions was discussed.

This work reported the preparation of Mg-MOF, Fe-MOF and Fe–Mg MOF by a solvothermal technique and their characterization with FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM and S_BET analyses.