Abstract
In this work, solar-light-active copper–vanadium oxide (Cu-VO) was synthesized by a simple microwave method and characterized by FESEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, UV–Vis/near-infrared (NIR), and FT-IR spectroscopy. Antialgal and dye degradation activities of Cu-VO were investigated against Microcystis aeruginosa and methylene blue dye (MB), respectively. The mechanism of action of Cu-VO was examined regarding the production of hydroxyl radical (·OH) in the medium and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in M. aeruginosa. FESEM and XRD analyses of Cu-VO disclosed the formation of monoclinic crystals with an average diameter of 132 nm. EDX and XPS analyses showed the presence of Cu, V, and O atoms on the surface of Cu-VO. Furthermore, FT-IR analysis of Cu-VO exposed the presence of tetrahedral VO4 and octahedral CuO6. Cu-VO effectively reduced the algal growth and degraded methylene blue under solar light. A total of 4 mg/L of Cu-VO was found to be effective for antialgal activity. Cu-VO degraded 93% of MB. The investigation of the mechanism of action of Cu-VO showed that ·OH mediated antialgal and dye degradation of M. aeruginosa and MB. Cu-VO also triggered the production of intracellular ROS in M. aeruginosa, leading to cell death. Thus, Cu-VO could be an effective catalyst for wastewater treatment.
Highlights
Clean and mineral-rich water is critically important to preserve life on earth [1].Increased industrialization, global warming, and high living standards contribute to water pollution and pose continuing risks to human health
The reaction of blue-colored CuSO4 ·5H2 O with white-colored KVO3 under microwave led to the formation of bright yellow-colored Cu-VO precipitate
The field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) image of Cu-VO showed the presence of well-dispersed spheroid-like particles (Figure 1) [27]
Summary
Global warming, and high living standards contribute to water pollution and pose continuing risks to human health. Water pollutants, such as blooming harmful cyanobacteria and dye, limit the access to fresh drinking water and sanitation, which necessitates the remediation of these pollutants [1]. Several strains of bloom-forming cyanobacteria, such as Anabaena spp., Microcystis spp., and Oscillatoria spp., are found in the aquatic system [2]. Out of these strains, Microcystis aeruginosa is a major bloom-forming freshwater blue-green algae [3,4]. M. aeruginosa contaminates freshwater by releasing cyanotoxins such as neurotoxins and hepatotoxins, whereas MB is toxic for aquatic animals and humans
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