BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2021, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 115-120

Strontium- and Yttrium-Binding Activity of Pectin from the Seagrass Phyllospadix iwatensis Makino, 1931 and Its Modified Derivative

© 2021 V. V. Kovalev¹, E. V. Khozhaenko², E. A. Podkorytova^{1, 2}

¹A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041, Russia;
²Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok 690090, Russia

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Low-esterified pectin was isolated from the seagrass Phyllospadix iwatensis and modified using acidic hydrolysis in 0.5 M HCl. The concentration of anhydrogalacturonic acid, the degree of esterification, and the molecular mass distribution were determined in the native and hydrolyzed pectins. The sorption capacity of these pectins with regard to strontium and yttrium ions was evaluated at pH 6.0. It was found that the molecular weight of the native pectin decreased 2.9-fold during hydrolysis; the relative content of anhydrogalacturonic acid in the native pectin increased by 14%, while the degree of esterification decreased from 5.22% to 0%. The sorption capacity of the hydrolyzed pectin increased regarding strontium and yttrium ions by 40% and 48%, respectively. In our study, hydrolyzed pectin fully retained the ability to bind metal ions from their solutions with a low concentration.

Key words: pectin, seagrass, Phyllospadix iwatensis, molecular mass distribution, sorption capacity, yttrium, strontium.