Green synthesis of sustainable magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 and Fe3O4-chitosan derived from Prosopis farcta biomass extract and their performance in the sorption of lead(II)

The sustainable processes are now in tremendous demand for nanomaterial synthesis as a result of their unique properties and characteristics. The magnetic nanoparticles comprised of Fe3O4 and its conjugate with abundant and renewable biopolymer, chitosan, were synthesized using Prosopis farcta biomass extract, and the resulting materials were used to adsorb Pb (II) from aqueous solution. Thermodynamic parameters revealed that the sorption of lead (II) on Fe3O4 as well as Fe3O4-Chitosan (Fe3O4-CS) has been an endothermic and self-regulating procedure wherein the sorption kinetics was defined by a pseudo-second-order pattern and the sorption isotherms corresponded to the Freundlich pattern. A multivariable quadratic technique for adsorption process optimization was implemented to optimize the lead (II) adsorption on Fe3O4 and Fe3O4-chitosan nanoparticles, the optimal conditions being pH 7.9, contact time of 31.2 min, initial lead concentration of 39.2 mg/L, adsorbent amount of 444.3 mg, at a 49.7 °C temperature. The maximum adsorption efficiencies under optimal conditions were found to be 69.02 and 89.54 % for Fe3O4 and Fe3O4-CS adsorbents, respectively. Notably, Fe3O4 and Fe3O4-CS can be easily recovered using an external magnet, indicating that they are a viable and cost-effective lead removal option.

2-Aminoethanaminium 2-(ethoxycarbonyl)-4,6-dinitrophenolate as a greener route in reducing sugar quantification

3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) reducing sugar assay is the most convenient method for quantification of total reducing sugar in biomass hydrolysate, fermentation samples, sugar industry and biotechnology laboratories. The dimeric proton transfer salt 2-aminoethanaminium 2-(ethoxycarbonyl)-4,6-dinitrophenolate (AED) is an intensely colored derivative of DNS and in turn its reduced form intense color showed a superior properties in reducing sugar quantification eliminating phenol and rochelle salt additives using the same practical methodology of DNS giving an overall methodology advantageous than using DNS assay as a greener route. The proton transfer salt has already been X-ray imaged and deposited in Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre CCDC 1441586 and a comparison was done between DNS and this salt using a salt and sodium hydroxide concentrations as the same as DNS assay as well as the latter phenol-rochelle salt free environment giving correlation coefficient 0.999 and absorptivity nearly two thirds the obtained in case of use DNS assay with added phenol for enhancing absorptivity and rochelle salt for produced color stabilization for the same detection range 0.1-0.5 mg/ml according to Miller procedures. The sensitivity and the reduced form color stability of this proton transfer salt could be interpreted on both of its molecular structure has a double oxidizing groups as well as it has an intense color as compared with DNS and a good reduced form solubility respectively. •DNS in reducing sugar quantification, Miller procedures involving phenol and rochelle salt addition.•AED in reducing sugar quantification as the same detection range as DNS with the elimination of phenol and rochelle salt from the assay.•A greener convenient route in reducing sugar quantification.