Microfluidic Synthesis and Decontamination Evaluation of a Mg/Fe-LDH–Silica Hybrid Composite for Advanced Water Treatment

TL;DR

A new hybrid material was created using microfluidics and shown to effectively remove pesticides from water, with minimal environmental harm.

Contribution

Development of a Mg/Fe-LDH–silica hybrid composite synthesized via microfluidics for efficient water decontamination.

Findings

The hybrid composite effectively removes multiple pesticides from water.

Magnetic separation allows for easy removal of the composite after decontamination.

The material shows low cytotoxicity and is safe for environmental use.

Abstract

Water contamination from diverse chemical pollutants has become a major environmental concern, demanding innovative and efficient remediation strategies. In this study, a Mg/Fe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) silica-magnetite hybrid composite was synthesized using a laser-cut microfluidic device to achieve controlled mixing and uniform particle formation. The obtained hybrid composite was further characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, RAMAN, and DLS, confirming a structurally integrated LDH-silica-Fe3O4 hybrid, stabilized by ionic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and Si-O-Mg interactions. Moreover, biological assays confirmed that the developed material does not exhibit significant cytotoxicity and is potentially safe for environmental applications. Further, the adsorption performance was determined by treating surface water samples containing a mixture of pesticides with the composite material. After magnetic separation, the samples were analyzed by FT-ICR HR-MS, which enabled the detection and discrimination of ions with very close m/z values. The obtained results demonstrate a significant water decontamination capacity for multiple pesticides and facile water removal via magnetic separation, suggesting that these materials and the fast FT-ICR screening method are prospective, practical solutions for environmental protection of water bodies.

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