Green Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles by a Polysaccharide Bioflocculant from Marine Alcaligenes faecalis HCB2 and Characterization

Iron, the most ubiquitous of the transition metals and the fourth most plentiful metal in the Earth’s crust, is the structural backbone of our modern infrastructure. It is therefore ironic that as a nanoparticle, iron has been somewhat neglected in favour of its own oxides as well as other metals such as cobalt, nickel, gold, and platinum. This study reports the green synthesis of iron nanoparticles using a bioflocculant and their characterization. The as-synthesised materials were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Spherical morphology was observed for the as-synthesised iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) and elemental analysis indicated iron with 17.31%. XRD studies revealed the broader peaks at 24°, 29°, 30°, and 35° 2θ for the as-synthesised iron nanoparticles indicating the nano sized particles. FT-IR spectra showed the bands at 3154 cm-1 (bioflocculant) and 3244 cm-1 (iron nanoparticles) representing the presence of hydroxyl (–OH) and amine (–NH2) functional groups.