Azadirachta indica Leaf Mediated Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Application in Methylene Blue Degradation

Abstract

The objective of this work was to investigate the production of iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) employing an Azadirachta indica leaf extract. The effects of reaction temperature and solution pH on the synthesis of iron nanoparticles were investigated. The UV-visible absorption peaks of the phyto-synthesized FeNPs were at 258 nm, and FT-IR analysis identified several functional groups that are involved in the bio-reduction of FeNPs. Iron nanoparticles were studied using SEM and TEM to define their morphology. The results show that the particles are spherical in shape and have an average size of 48 nm. Additionally, spectrophotometric analysis was used to determine the catalytic activity of the synthesized NPs on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of Peroxodisulphate (PDS). The kinetics of MB decomposition was enhanced by Peroxodisulphate, dye, increasing concentrations of nanoparticles, and high temperatures. The maximum MB decomposition efficiency for the FeNPs/PDS system was 98% in 90 minutes under optimal reaction conditions. Thus, the current study contributes to the development of green synthesis that is affordable, reduces the use of harmful chemicals, and has diverse applications in the biological sciences.