Dye and metal ion adsorption ability of Asian green mussel byssus thread complex; their microscopic and thermal property characterization.

Various physical, chemical, and biological factors act as pollutants and cause deleterious effects on the environment and living organisms. Several researchers are developing eco-friendly good adsorbent from agriculture waste materials for pollutant removal, especially aromatic dyes and heavy metal removal. We used the Asian green mussel byssus thread, a natural mariculture waste product for the removal of aromatic dyes (methylene blue and eosin Y) and heavy metals (zinc, copper, iron, mercury and lead). We documented the dynamicity of byssus thread dye and metal removal at different pH (pH 2-10) and different concentrations. The highest amount of metal removal was observed at pH 6.0, and the dye removal efficacy is related to the property of the dye (i.e. anionic or cationic dye). The byssus thread had a natural fluorescent property upon UV-excitation; however, microscopic examination revealed that metal and dye coordination significantly alter the byssus plaque region's physical and chemical property rather than the thread regions. It was further confirmed by using DSC and TGA characterization of de-metaled and metal-treated byssus thread complex. We concluded that byssus thread could be used as a strong adsorbent for dye and metal removal from the water.