Cerium-Doped Calcium Ferrite for Malachite Green Dye Removal and Antibacterial Activities

The current work addresses a comprehensive study on synthesis and application of a Ce-doped calcium ferrite (Ce-doped CaFe2O4) as a multifunctional material with desirable properties, i.e., biocompatibility, nontoxicity, cost-effectiveness and eco-friendliness. The magnetic Ce-doped calcium ferrite nanoparticles with various chemical composition CaFe2-xCexO4 (x = 0.10, 0.075, 0.050, and 0.025) were fabricated via a sol-gel procedure. After attentive characterization of the nanoparticles, they were exploited for both adsorptive removal of a model cationic dye (Malachite green; MG) and their antibacterial activity against waterborne Gram-negative pathogens. The doped Ce-doped CaFe2O4 exhibited a high tendency for adsorption of MG at pH 11, with experimental maximal sorption capacity of 540.01 mg/g which obtained by CaFe1.975Ce0.025O4 adsorbent. The kinetic scrutinization disclosed that pseudo second order kinetic model gave the best fit with experimental outcomes, and the interactions between active sites and dye molecules controlled the rate. Both Langmuir and Sips gave a good fit with isothermal outcomes. However, the Sips model was slightly more successful than the Langmuir model for description of the equilibrium, proving that a minor part of process at the end of process happens via a multi-layered sorption. Also, the optical density measurements approved the successful growth inhibition of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi in the presence of Ce-doped CaFe2O4 nanoparticles. Overall, Ce-doped calcium ferrite is an excellent adsorbent for cationic dyes and shows a high antibacterial activity against waterborne Gram-negative pathogens, which can be employed in full-scale water treatment plants.

Automated summary

This study synthesized Ce-doped calcium ferrite and investigated its use as an adsorbent for dyes and antibacterial agent. Ce-doped calcium ferrite demonstrated high adsorption capacity and antibacterial activity, making it suitable for water treatment plants.