Montmorillonite–Cu(II)/Fe(III) oxides magnetic material for removal of cyanobacterial Microcystis aeruginosa and its regeneration

In this paper, montmorillonite–Cu(II)/Fe(III) oxides magnetic material was prepared and used for removal of harmful algae from water. The material was prepared by the supporting of Cu(II)/Fe(III) oxides on pillared montmorillonite and was characterized by XRD, zeta potential measurements. The results showed that the whole material is magnetic. The prepared magnetic material was effective for the removal of cyanobacterial Microcystis aeruginosa and the loaded particles was chemically regenerated using acetone solution.

1. Montmorillonite–Cu(II)/Fe(III) oxides magnetic material was successfully prepared by supporting Cu(II)/Fe(III) magnetic oxides on pillared montmorillonite. The montmorillonite/(CuO+Fe2O3) mass ratio for the preparation of the magnetic material was determined to be 2:1. 2. The prepared material was wholly magnetic and can be attracted to a permanent magnet. 3. The magnetic material is effective for the removal of cyanobacterial M. aeruginosa. The removal increases with the decrease in pH and the increase of ionic strength and Ca2+ concentration. 4. The loaded magnetic material particles can be chemically regenerated using acetone solution and the regenerated material is still effective for removal of algae. Acknowledgment This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50538090, 20607027). The authors were also grateful to Prof. Gang Pan and Prof. Hai Yan for their kind provision of M. aeruginosa.