Vasic K., Primožic M., Knez Željko, Leitgeb M., 2026, Magnetic Nanocellulose as a Promising Functional Nanoadsorbent for Heavy Metals Removal, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 124, 169-174.
Heavy metal contamination represents a major environmental concern due to the toxicity and persistence of these pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, magnetic nanocellulose (mNC) was synthesized from Polypodiophyta biomass via in situ co-precipitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and evaluated for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) removal from aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption experiments examined the effects of pH, contact time, and initial Cr(VI) concentration. Adsorption showed strong pH dependence, with optimal performance at pH 5, where nearly complete Cr(VI) removal (100%) was achieved within 120 min at 1 mg/L. At higher concentrations, removal efficiencies reached 98% at 5 mg/L and 44% at 10 mg/L. Adsorption isotherm analysis revealed that the Freundlich model (R²=0.93) better described the system than the Langmuir model (R²=0.71), indicating heterogeneous multilayer adsorption. The results demonstrate that magnetic nanocellulose is an effective and magnetically recoverable adsorbent for chromium removal.
