The Effects of Magnetite Iron Oxide Nanomaterials on Arsenic Adsorption and the Freshwater Medicinal Leeches Hirudo verbana

In the present study, nano sized Fe3O4 particles (NPs) and composites (NCs) were prepared by a simple solvo-thermal method in ethylene, di-ethylene or tetraethylene glycol solutions for the removal of arsenic from tap water. Adsorption experiments were conducted by adding Fe3O4 NPs, and Fe3O4- graphene oxide (GO), Fe3O4-GO -ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) and Fe3O4-GO-Glutatyon (GLU) NCs to the tap water containing 50 ppm standard arsenic acid solution (H3AsO4). The best arsenic adsorption capacity (81.39 %, 72.00 mg As/ g NPs) was obtained from bare Fe3O4 NP’s group. In the second stage, it was aimed to investigate the effects of Fe3O4 NPs on medicinal leeches (Hirudo verbana) as experimental animal. In this stage, the effect of the different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.75 and 1 mg/L) of Fe3O4 NPs on the leeches H. verbana and heavy metal accumulations were determined at the end of 96 hours. Different doses of Fe3O4 NPs had no adverse effects on survival of the medicinal leeches, although heavy metal accumulations of the leeches were found different significantly compared to the control group (P