Removal of aflatoxin B1 from contaminated peanut oils using magnetic attapulgite

The efficient magnetic adsorbent (Fe3O4@ATP) was prepared by precipitation through the dispersion of Fe(3)O(4 )nanoparticles on the natural attapulgite (ATP) and then tested as an adsorbent for aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) removal from contaminated oils. The adsorbent characterization results revealed that the Fe3O4 were incorporated into the ATP, affording the Fe3O4@ATP composite. This magnetic composite displayed a good ability to eliminate AFB(1) from contaminated oils with a removal efficiency of 86.82% using a 0.3% dosage. The Fe3O4@ATP possessed paramagnetic character with a saturation magnetization of 50.86 emu/g, enabling its easy separation from the medium using an external magnet. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model and fitted the Freundlich isotherm well. Moreover, the thermodynamic studies showed that AFB(1) adsorption onto Fe3O4@ATP was exothermic and spontaneous. The novelty of this study lies in the fabrication of magnetic composite adsorbents for AFB(1) elimination from oils.