Biosynthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles using bacteria isolated from dairy effluent

Present study investigates the use of bacteria isolated from dairy effluent for biosynthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP). For this purpose bacteria from the effluent were isolated and cultured on Nutrient Agar medium and their supernatant was employed for the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by using UV- Vis spectrophotometry, upto an absorption peak at 280nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed crystalline structure of the nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 13.9 to 15.9 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the nanoparticles were spherical in shape. FTIR analysis showed adsorption band at 529.47 cm^-1 and 433.45 cm^-1 which indicated the presence of a Fe-O stretching, likely capped or stabilized by organic molecules. Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis indicated peak at iron region, confirming the formation of iron oxide. Further studies on newly synthesized IONP revealed its phosphate removal ability.