“Antimicrobial Activity and Heavy Metal Removal from Wastewater Using Organically Functionalized Magnetic Chitosan Sorbents.”

Two new functionalized sorbents EPC@MC and ENC@MC were synthesized by the grafting of two amino ester derivatives EPC and ENC on magnetic chitosan nanoparticles respectively. The prepared sorbents were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, and SEM-EDX facilities, TEM, SEAD pattern, zeta potential, and TGA analysis. The sorption process was investigated for three fresh contaminated water samples, sewage wastewater, iron and steel wastewater, and tannery wastewater respectively. The obtained data illustrated that EPC@MC and ENC@MC are highly selective for some heavy metals removal from the different samples of industrial wastewater. The sorption process was performed under different pH values 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. The best sorption ratio was observed in the acidic medium. To illustrate and study the sorption efficiency and mechanism, surface charge analysis– pHPZC, ICP and XPS analysis were performed. To complete the evaluation of the prepared functionalized sorbents, their antimicrobial properties as well as that of the corresponding amino esters were characterized by determining the inhibition zone values against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), as well as a yeast species (Candida albicans) and fungi including one filamentous fungus (Aspergillus fumigatus) and by using a well-modified diffusion method.