Medical Plant Extract Purification from Cadmium(II) Using Modified Thermoplastic Starch and Ion Exchangers

Pure compounds extracted and purified from medical plants are crucial for preparation of the herbal products applied in many countries as drugs for the treatment of diseases all over the world. Such products should be free from toxic heavy metals; therefore, their elimination or removal in all steps of production is very important. Hence, the purpose of this paper was purification of an extract obtained from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo and cadmium removal using thermoplastic starch (S1), modified TPS with poly (butylene succinate); 25% of TPS + 75% PBS (S2); 50% of TPS + 50% PLA (S3); and 50% of TPS + 50% PLA with 5% of hemp fibers (S4), as well as ion exchangers of different types, e.g., Lewatit SP112, Purolite S940, Amberlite IRC747, Amberlite IRC748, Amberlite IRC718, Lewatit TP207, Lewatit TP208, and Purolite S930. This extract is used in cancer treatment in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis with differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, gel permeation chromatography, surface analysis, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and point of zero charge analysis were used for sorbent and adsorption process characterization, as well as for explanation of the Cd(II) sorption mechanism.