Adsorptive Separation of Myoglobin from Aqueous Solutions Using Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles Modified with Functionalized Nanocrystalline Cellulose

Protein adsorption is an effective method for the separation of proteins and hence widely accepted in biotechnological applications. The adsorption characteristics of a heme protein, myoglobin (Mb) on a newly developed adsorbent, poly(2-methylpropenoic acid-copolymerized-ethylene-sulfonic acid)-grafted-magnetic nanocrystalline cellulose composite [P(MAA-co-VSA)-g-MNCC] was studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy studies have helped to characterize the adsorbent. The influence of pH and temperature on the swelling behavior of P(MAA-co-VSA)-g-MNCC was investigated. The specific surface area, the point of zero charge, and the amount of acidic functionalities present on the adsorbent surface were estimated. The effects of some external parameters on the adsorption of Mb were also investigated. Different kinetic and isotherm models were used in this study. The regeneration experiments were conducted with 0.3 mmol.kg(-1) NH4OH for five cycles with minimal adsorbent loss. The results from the present investigation proved that Mb can be effectively separated from aqueous solutions by means of P(MAA-co-VSA)-g-MNCC.