Silkworm Silk Turned Into Magnetic Lanthanum Adsorbent That Strips

A study in the Journal of Saudi Chemical Society describes turning a single silkworm cocoon into a magnetic lanthanum-functionalized adsorbent, aimed at stripping phosphate from water. Researchers from King Faisal University report that the composite, labeled MSF-La, reached a lanthanum-normalized phosphate adsorption capacity of 167.86 milligrams of phosphorus per gram of lanthanum—more than triple the 71.42 mg/g achieved by pure lanthanum hydroxide under the same conditions. The work targets eutrophication, driven by nutrient over-enrichment that can fuel algal blooms, reduce dissolved oxygen, and degrade water quality. The article notes regulators often cap discharges at 0.1 mg phosphorus per liter, requiring high-capacity, low-cost, regenerable technologies. The one-pot synthesis dissolves silk fibroin, precipitates magnetite in situ at pH 10, then adds lanthanum nitrate across loadings from 0.5 to 8.5 mg and cures at 55°C overnight.