{"title":"A novel bioflocculant competent of coagulating and flocculating the polystyrene from an Alcaligenes sp.","authors":"M. Chekkath Shehbas, K. Madhavan Nampoothiri","doi":"10.1007/s11051-025-06299-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Microplastics (MPs) in environmental matrices, particularly aquatic ecosystems, pose an emerging threat to diverse biological systems. Coagulation-flocculation processes have garnered attention for their potential to mitigate MP contamination in wastewater treatments and may help to limit these particles ending in water bodies. This study explores a sustainable way to precipitate PS nanoparticles (PS NPs), utilising a protein bioflocculant from <i>Alcaligenes</i> sp. IS02 as an alternative to chemical and synthetic flocculants. The cell-free culture supernatant demonstrated a substantial turbidity clearance of 85% in prepared PS suspension, signifying its efficacy in removing the PS-NPs. The protein bioflocculant was precipitated and extracted with 10% trichloroacetic acid, and the purified flocculant displayed a flocculation activity (FA) of 84.1%. The role of proteins in flocculation was confirmed by desorbing the multiple proteins from the precipitated PS NPs and separated through SDS-PAGE and also validated the presence of proteins by FTIR. It was also observed that the suspension’s zeta potential increased from − 49.16 mV to − 31.9 mV after the addition of the bioflocculant, indicating the role of charged residues in flocculation. The possible mechanism for flocculation was presumed as protein corona formation, where electrostatic interactions between negatively charged PS NPs and charged amino acid residues in proteins lead to aggregation and precipitation.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3>\n<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":653,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nanoparticle Research","volume":"27 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nanoparticle Research","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11051-025-06299-x","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) in environmental matrices, particularly aquatic ecosystems, pose an emerging threat to diverse biological systems. Coagulation-flocculation processes have garnered attention for their potential to mitigate MP contamination in wastewater treatments and may help to limit these particles ending in water bodies. This study explores a sustainable way to precipitate PS nanoparticles (PS NPs), utilising a protein bioflocculant from Alcaligenes sp. IS02 as an alternative to chemical and synthetic flocculants. The cell-free culture supernatant demonstrated a substantial turbidity clearance of 85% in prepared PS suspension, signifying its efficacy in removing the PS-NPs. The protein bioflocculant was precipitated and extracted with 10% trichloroacetic acid, and the purified flocculant displayed a flocculation activity (FA) of 84.1%. The role of proteins in flocculation was confirmed by desorbing the multiple proteins from the precipitated PS NPs and separated through SDS-PAGE and also validated the presence of proteins by FTIR. It was also observed that the suspension’s zeta potential increased from − 49.16 mV to − 31.9 mV after the addition of the bioflocculant, indicating the role of charged residues in flocculation. The possible mechanism for flocculation was presumed as protein corona formation, where electrostatic interactions between negatively charged PS NPs and charged amino acid residues in proteins lead to aggregation and precipitation.
期刊介绍：
The objective of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research is to disseminate knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological phenomena and processes in structures that have at least one lengthscale ranging from molecular to approximately 100 nm (or submicron in some situations), and exhibit improved and novel properties that are a direct result of their small size.
Nanoparticle research is a key component of nanoscience, nanoengineering and nanotechnology.
The focus of the Journal is on the specific concepts, properties, phenomena, and processes related to particles, tubes, layers, macromolecules, clusters and other finite structures of the nanoscale size range. Synthesis, assembly, transport, reactivity, and stability of such structures are considered. Development of in-situ and ex-situ instrumentation for characterization of nanoparticles and their interfaces should be based on new principles for probing properties and phenomena not well understood at the nanometer scale. Modeling and simulation may include atom-based quantum mechanics; molecular dynamics; single-particle, multi-body and continuum based models; fractals; other methods suitable for modeling particle synthesis, assembling and interaction processes. Realization and application of systems, structures and devices with novel functions obtained via precursor nanoparticles is emphasized. Approaches may include gas-, liquid-, solid-, and vacuum-based processes, size reduction, chemical- and bio-self assembly. Contributions include utilization of nanoparticle systems for enhancing a phenomenon or process and particle assembling into hierarchical structures, as well as formulation and the administration of drugs. Synergistic approaches originating from different disciplines and technologies, and interaction between the research providers and users in this field, are encouraged.
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