Romanian Biotechnological Letters Vol.19, No2, 2014 Copyright © 2014 University of Bucharest Printed in Romania. All rights reserved ORIGINAL PAPER 9196 Romanian Biotechnological Letters, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2014 Synthesized materials for decontamination of heavy metals polluted aqueous solutions Received for publication, December 03, 2013 Accepted, March 5, 2014 Irina Fierascu 1 , Radu Claudiu Fierascu 1*, Ovidiu Popa 2 , Narcisa Babeanu 2* 1 National R&D Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry – ICECHIM Bucharest, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021, sect. 6, Bucharest, Romania; 2 University of Agronomic Science and Veterinary Medicine – Bucureşti, Bdul Marasti, 59, sector 1, Bucharest, Romania; e-mail: radu_claudiu_fierascu@yahoo.com Abstract: Heavy metals present in wastewater are a major environmental problem all over the world. Heavy metals are a very serious concern as they are not biodegradable and can be accumulated by organisms, leading to various health problems. The present paper describes the use of a synthesized biomaterials (hydroxyapatite - HAP) for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous environments. The obtained results are promising, as the synthesized material is able to be used as a decontamination tool for wastewaters charged with heavy metals. The synthesized material was characterized using state-of-the-art analytical techniques (X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence, dynamic light scattering and inductively coupled plasma – atomic emission spectroscopy). These studies have shown that by using synthesized hydroxyapatite, heavy metals ions can be removed from solutions by chemical reaction with hydroxyapatite. The hydroxyapatite has different affinity for selected heavy metals. Keywords: biomaterials, nanomaterials, hydroxyapatite, wastewater, heavy metals, analytical techniques 1. Introduction On the way towards a sustainable development, natural water plays a crucial role, as it represents the basis for food production, trade, human needs and a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Natural water sources are finite, while the water demand is increasing due to human development in the last centuries, leading to action plans at national and international level [1]. Currently, one of the major problems of mankind is pollution. Heavy metals present in wastewater are a major environmental problem. Heavy metals are a very serious concern as they are not biodegradable and can be accumulated by organisms, leading to various health problems [2]. To remove heavy metals from waste waters are known a lot of methods (precipitation method, ion exchange method, adsorption method, biomembrane filtration, reverse osmosis, electro dialysis, membrane electrolysis or electrochemical precipitation) but each of them present advantages and disadvantages [3-7]. Besides these methods, the use of hydroxyapatite seems promising due to its properties and the low cost involved in its synthesis [8-10]. Hydroxyapatite is one of the most studied biomaterials, with a wide range of medical applications in the reconstruction and regeneration of bone structures, for which researchers have shown interest, but it can also be used in environmental purposes to remove different heavy metals from waters or soils [10-12]. Nriagu and Dell [13] firstly suggested phosphate for removing soluble Pb from the aqueous phase,