I am working on a project to separate oil from water using magnetic bio friendly nano particles for a college project. Is there a way to cost effectively synthesize these magnetic nanoparticles in school/ college lab settings which will stick to oil in water for separation.
Nano-materials require safety handling to prevent exposure to hazards which can have negative health effects, so would HIGHLY advise not doing home synthetic work.
If in a college laboratory, several methods using a fume hood and a RBF / condenser apparatus are available. This method is scalable and commonly used in nano-materials synthesis.
Regarding oil/water separations, there is a wealth of literature. A quick review finds Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48, 24, 14558-14563 which has a good approach in my experience. Take a look at reviews on different sorbent chemistries!
Best of luck on your experiments and your project!
Regarding synthesis of magnetic nano-particles, the simplest method in my opinion at a school/college lab would be co-precipitation method. It requires simple mixing of metal ion solutions (salt solutions) and addition of a base to adjust the pH. It is possible at ambient conditions and require no special set-up and no specific reactor.
A very nice and authentic article, on sythesis of magnetic nanoparticles is "Magnetic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Protection, Functionalization, and Application" https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.200602866 which have been cited more than 6000 times. Must read this. It is not only dedicated to synthesis but also functionalization and protection of magnetic nano-particles are discussed.
For application to Oil/Water separation you will find many good articles. Please see "Potential applications of magnetic nanoparticles within separation in the petroleum industry" 10.1016/j.petrol.2018.02.048.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Teacher Education
- School