Silica nanoparticles were obtained from corn cobs husks.
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Fusarium culmorum was responsible for transformation of amorphous form of silica to structured silica nanoparticles.
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Efficiency of bioconversion was 47%.
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Silica nanoparticles were spherical and had 40–70 nm in size.
Abstract
Corn processing generates thousands of tons of cob husks, which still contains many valuable elements. To make the most of these wastes, they are applied as substrates for biotransformation’s procedures. This approach allowed converting or releasing, the elements deposited in the plant material and obtaining valuable products. Thus bioconversion of corn cob husks (CCH) using a fungus of the Fusarium culmorum genus resulted in obtaining silica nanoparticles of defined size and morphology. SEM analysis excluded their presence on the surface of the substrate. FTIR confirmed the presence of siloxane bonds and O-Si-O bonds in post-biotransformation fluid. Using the Heteropoly Blue Method, it was checked that the highest concentration of silica during 16-day biotransformation falls on the 7th day of the process, in which both the substrate sterilization and the process of the biocatalyst starvation were of key importance. Using the STEM and EDX analysis, it was proved that the obtained nanoparticles with a spherical form are structured and their dimensions are ~40 and ~70 nm. ICP-OES proved that the overall process efficiency was 47%. Such nanoparticles can be successfully used in the medical industry.
