Treatment of spring water using magnetite nanoparticles.

Abstract

The separation effectiveness of micro-algae from spring water samples using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and recycling of MNPs were explored in this study. The MNPs were synthesized using the co-precipitation method. At a pH of 8, the separation efficiency was 97.95 percent, whereas at a pH of 4, it was 99.1 percent. The separation efficiency was also measured every 2 minutes for 12 minutes. The water sample treated with 0.5g of MNPs had the highest separation efficiencies, while the water sample treated with 0.1g of MNPs had the lowest separation efficiencies. The refractive index of MNP-dosed water samples was also studied. Sample A, the control, had the greatest refractive index of 1.351, whereas sample G, which included 0.5g of MNPs in 10mLs of water sample, had the lowest, 1.334, which is close to that of pure liquid water. The microalgae/MNPs slurry was washed four times with distilled water after magnetic separation. To make up for the MNPs lost during washing, more MNPs were added to the micro-algal sample before washing. The MNPs were dried in an oven after being washed. The transmission coefficient of the micro-algal water sample was likewise found to be somewhat lowered when the MNPs were recycled, but the recycled MNPs were still successful in magnetic separation. These investigated characteristics (pH, time, and refractive index) demonstrate the cost effectiveness and low dose requirement of MNPs in residential water treatment.