Highly effective lead (II) removal by sustainable alkaline activated β-lactoglobulin nanofibrils from whey protein

In this work, we developed β-lactoglobulin nanofibrils by alkaline-thermal activation methods for Pb removal. The protein fibrils exhibited effective adsorption and selectivity for lead (II) removal, even with coexisting Ca2+/Mg2+/Na+ ions at higher concentrations. Kinetic results proved rapid Pb purification within 60 s. The nanofibrils effectively treated ∼22 m3 contaminated water/kg sorbent, far beyond effectiveness of a commercial ion...