Potential of magnetically responsive (nano)biocomposites

Different types of biological materials are available for an enormous amount of bioscience, biotechnology and environmental technology applications. These materials are mainly diamagnetic, which means they do not interact significantly with an external magnetic field. However, several procedures can be used to convert biological materials into magnetically responsive composite materials which can be efficiently separated using simple magnets or magnetic separation systems. The prepared magnetic biocomposites can be used for many applications, such as magnetic removal and separation of xenobiotics and biologically active compounds, immobilization of target compounds, as parts of biosensors or as whole cell biocatalysts.