Molten salt activation induced porous graphitic carbon/attapulgite composites as superior adsorbent for multiple mycotoxins

Silicate-based composite materials have great potential as adsorbents in the field of mycotoxin removal. In this study, a porous graphitic carbon coated attapulgite (APT/C-ZnCl₂) composite material was successfully prepared using an in-situ thermal reduction method with glucose as the carbon source. This composite material exhibited excellent adsorption performance towards aflatoxin B1, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol. Experimental results indicated that the adsorption rates of the composite material towards the three mycotoxins reached 93.52 %, 90.58 %, and 92.31 %, respectively, with saturated adsorption capacity of 20.17 mg/g, 82.67 mg/g, and 0.69 mg/g, respectively. The interaction between APT/C-ZnCl₂ material and aflatoxin B1 was mainly attributed to H-bonding interaction, while its interactions with zearalenone and deoxynivalenol were primarily governed by hydrophobic and π-π interactions. Overall, porous silicate-based APT/C-ZnCl₂ adsorbent has the characteristics of ultra-high adsorption capacity, low cost, and adsorption ability for different types of fungal toxins, meeting the requirements of efficient and economical removal of mycotoxins.