I'm working on the selenite removal from the waste water. In this case I'm using a fungus, which is synthesising the selenium nanoparticle by reducing the selenite from the waste water. The colour (pinkish/red) change in the fungal pellet signifying that the selenite reduction is occurring inside the fungus or on the surface, and it is forming the selenium nanoparticle over their. And, the problem is recovery of these nanoparticle.
Does anyone knows that, how can I recover the nanoparticle from these fungus without applying any mechanical operation (Sonication) means without breaking the whole fungal cell?
What are the possible methods to recover these nanoparticles? Any suggestions ?
C.A. (Kees) Kan Yeh, we can go for other methods also. What are possible methods to recover these intracellular nanoparticles from the fungus ?
Did you think about digestion of fungus using some acids, then using some chemicals for precipitation of selenium?
Unfortunately, to recover intracellularly produced nanoparticles, you are going to have to disrupt the cells. There are different methods for cell disruption, physical (cooking, drying, osmotic shock, freeze-thaw, and cryogenic grinding), and chemical (acid, base, and surfactants). I recommend you read the following paper. Article Extraction of Carotenoids from Xanthophyllomyces Dendrorhous...
They show a method to recover intracellular metabolites (a combination of Ultrasound-Assisted and Chemical Cell Disruption). You are going to have to try different methods to assess which one works better for the specific kind of fungus that you are using, as efficient nanoparticles extraction depends on the cellular matrix and cell-wall characteristics of the fungus.
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