Development of Fe3O4/CAC nanocomposite for the effective removal of Contaminants of emerging concerns (Ce3+) from water: An ecotoxicological assessment

Abstract Contaminants of emerging concerns present in the ecosystems causes various adverse effects on all living organisms. In current study, removal of Ce3+ from water was performed using Fe3O4/CAC nanocomposite (MCAC) synthesized by co-precipitation technique. The synthesized MCAC was characterized using various analytical techniques. The magnetic behavior of the nanocomposite which is a crucial advantage in separation of MCAC after adsorption of Ce3+ from water was determined using vibrating sample magnetometer. MCAC was polycrystalline comprising both amorphous and crystalline regions with elements like C, O, Fe and N. The influence of process parameters was optimized through batch mode with the adsorption capacity of 86.206 mg/g. Ecotoxicological studies were performed using Danio rerio (Zebra fish) and seeds of Vigna mungo and Vigna radiata to assess the harmful effects of Ce3+ before and after adsorption process. The phytotoxicity studies on seeds revealed that inhibition of growth ranges from 50.39 % to 12.55 % (before adsorption) and 28.57 % to 3.89 % (after adsorption). After 96 h the LC50 value of Ce3+ on the Danio rerio before and after adsorption was 2.44 and 77.85 mg/L. Thus, the current study investigated the effective removal of Ce3+ by MCAC and evaluates its ecotoxicological effects.