Chitosan-Fe3O4 Membranes for Biosorption of Cr(VI) in Water, and Study of its Degradation Using Entomopathogenic Fungi (Beauveria sp and Nomureae sp)

Among heavy metals, hexavalent Cr(VI), a potent carcinogen, is one of the most common residues generated by the mining and textile industry, causing a severe impact on the environment, animals, and human health. In this work, magnetic membranes based on chitosan and magnetite nanoparticles were prepared, and their performance in removing Cr(VI) from water was evaluated. Chitosan was obtained from shrimp shell waste, while magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized by the TREG-mediated solvothermal method. Materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV–Vis, DLS, and SEM–EDS. Quasi-spherical nanoparticles of 10 nm size were obtained with relatively low agglomeration and good magnetization (65 emu/g) properties. The membranes containing 4.8