Cost-effective phytohormone extraction of Sargassum swartzii from the Persian Gulf using Magnetic Ionic Liquid

Introduction Algae extracts are applicable as biofertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers in agriculture. Algae have a high content of plant hormones such as Gibberellin, Salicylic acid, Abscisic Acid, and Brassinosteroids are available in algae. Objective The main objective of this study is to increase the extraction yield and simultaneously extraction of hormones required for plant growth from Sargassum swartzii using Magnetic recoverable ionic liquid (IL). Methods Extraction is done by acidic digestion with acetic acid and then alkaline digestion with potassium hydroxide. Results The results showed the ionic liquid effect in extraction yield by 266 percent. The extracted phytohormones were analyzed by HPLC methods. High level of Gibberellin, Salicylic acid, Abscisic Acid and Brassinosteroids in improved algae extraction shows seaweed extract could be used as environmentally friendly liquid bio fertilizers to replace chemical fertilizers and could play a crucial role in organic farming on the way to sustainable agriculture. Recoverability of ionic liquid for eight times with negligible leaching make introduced procedure cost effective. Conclusion The reported procedure for algae extraction improved by using an acidic/primary ionic liquid environment. This procedure is economic because of the simply reusability of ionic liquid due to its magnetic features.