Box–Behnken response surface methodology design for amaranth dye degradation using gold nanoparticles

Abstract

The primary goal of this study was to synthesize Au NPs utilizing a green synthetic approach. For the first time, an aqueous extract of Aristolochia bracteata leaves was used as a reducing and capping agent to produce Au NPs from gold ions. The shape of the produced Au NPs was determined using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to be spherical and 50–60 nm in size. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to examine the crystallinity of Au NPs, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was used to determine the functional groups involved in the conversion of gold ions into Au NPs. The Au NPs were evaluated as photocatalytic agents for amaranth dye degradation, and the findings revealed that 94.6% of the dye was degraded in 90 min. A first-order kinetic model was used to calculate the deterioration rate. Furthermore, the photocatalytic reaction's Quantum Yield (QY) was estimated, and the degradation rate was optimized using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approach.