hello dear scientists,
I am facing problems to separating my nanoparticles from lignocellulosic biomass after hydrolysis. What happens is that: I apply nanocatalysts to perform the hydrolysis of plant residues, but I have difficulties to recover these same nanocatalysts because they adhere strongly to the biomass and when I bring the magnet barr close, the biomass decants along with the nanoparticles. My hypothesis is that these nanocatalysts enter the biomass pores and therefore they stick together, I thought of using some surfactant to remove the plant biomass but I don't know the validity of the technique. I've already tried using thames and filter paper but both didn't work. The picture demonstrates a flask with the biomass strongly adhered to the magnetic nanoparticles
Any insights or tips? Thank you for your attention
Try modifying a centrifuge with two or more powerful rare earth magnets positioned just close to the maximum reach of the extending sample tubes. As the combined mass lifts towards the magnet in the rotating sample tubes the nanoparticles will be subject to a separating force from the biomass and (one hopes) there will be the formation of a nanoparticle concentration at the sample tube end and away from then biomass.
Hi Yasmin,
Is your sample wet or dry?
For wet samples you could sonicate the sample with a magnet attached towards the top of the tube. The sonication should break up the the larger clumps. If not, a more dilute solution would reduce particle entrapment.
Drying and grinding the sample might make the separation easier due a reduction in surface tension between the catalyst and biomass caused by water
Yasmin Cristhine de Souza Melo
Magnetic Nanomaterials as Biocatalyst Carriers for Biomass
Processing: Immobilization Strategies, Reusability,
and Applications
Mayra A. Mariño 1, Stephanie Fulaz 2 and Ljubica Tasic 3,*
Citation: Mariño, M.A.; Fulaz, S.;
Tasic, L. Magnetic Nanomaterials as
Biocatalyst Carriers for Biomass
Processing: Immobilization Strategies,
Reusability, and Applications.
Magnetochemistry 2021, 7, 133.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
magnetochemistry7100133
Academic Editor: Lotfi Bessais
Received: 30 May 2021
Accepted: 16 September 2021
Published: 23 September 2021
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional affiliations.This paper can be found and it gives insights about your question
Have you tried decantation? If the nanoparticles have a higher density than the biomass pulp, then they will settle down at the bottom and can be removed. You will have to sacrifice some of the biomass pulp though!
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