Green Synthesis of Hydrophobic Magnetite Nanoparticles Coated with Plant Extract and Their Application as Petroleum Oil Spill Collectors

In this study, an easy, rapid and eco-friendly method was used successfully to synthesize the magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs). In order to fine-tune the synthesized MNPs for the collection of heavy crude oil spills, the particles’ surface was modified with green hydrophobic biocomponents that were extracted from Anthemis pseudocotula (AP). The surface modified reaction carried with that of the MNPs in the presence of n-hexane extract (APH) resulted in the formation of APH-MNPs, while in the presence of chloroform extract (APC), resulted in APC-MNPs formation. The as-formed MNPs were thoroughly characterized using transmittance electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer and thermogravimetric analysis. The efficiency of the surface-modified MNPs for the collection of oil spills in the presence of an external magnetic field was evaluated by taking different ratios of MNPs:crude oil. From the analysis of the results, we found that the APH-MNPs particles have higher efficiency in the collection of heavy crude oil than the corresponding APC-MNPs.