Synthesis of iron nanoparticles from algal biofilm formed in pools of a wastewater treatment plant and their use in removal of some organic pollutants from water

Although environmental pollution is one of the most important problems of today, bioremediation applications have an important place in the removal or conversion of toxic substances from their environments. Bacteria, yeasts, molds, algae and plants are widely used in bioremediation events. Recently, the use of nanoparticles produced by biological methods in bioremediation applications has also taken place. The algae, which are the primary producers of aquatic ecosystems, are very rich in bioactive compounds, making them prominent in nanoparticle production. In the current study, algal biofilms that are naturally and continuously formed in the sedimentation ponds of the Gümüşhane Municipality Waste Water Treatment Facility, where the treated water is located and which do not have any use, will be collected and dried, then pulverized and extracted. Afterwards, iron nanoparticles in these extracts will be obtained by using appropriate methods. The structural, functional and optical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles will be characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Then, applications will be made to remove organic dye pollutants such as methylene blue, phenol red and malachite green from aqueous solutions of extracted samples and iron nanoparticles. The extent to which these nanoparticles remove organic pollutants will be demonstrated by the measurements made. Thus, the biotechnological usability of a waste biological material will be determined..