Abstract
Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles has attracted research attention as a sustainable method of avoiding the destructive effect of chemicals. We synthesized a flower-shaped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflower (NF) from sea buckthorn fruit (SBT) by co-precipitation and characterized it using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photo electronic microscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL), field emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The ability of the ZnO/NF to degrade cationic and anionic dyes, including malachite green (MG), Congo red (CR), methylene blue (MB), and eosin Y (EY), under ultraviolet illumination was studied. The photocatalyst degraded approximately 99% of the MG, MB, CR and EY dyes within 70, 70, 80, and 90 min of contact time, respectively, at a dye concentration of 15 mg/L, 5 mg/L, SBT-ZnO/NF degraded 100% of the MG, MB, CR and EY dyes within 23, 25, 28, and 30 min, respectively. The results indicate that SBT-ZnO/NFs as synthesized is an inexpensive, non-toxic, rapid, and reusable photocatalyst that can play an enhanced role in wastewater treatment.
Highlights
Demand for chemically synthesized dyes and other materials is increasing with growing populations
As byproducts of the chemical, textile, and leather industries, dyes are often associated with toxic chemicals that are carcinogenic to humans, as well as toxic to microbes that play key ecological roles [1]
Various reports have shown that the crystalline structure of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles from plant extracts is associated with efficient dye degradation [12]
Summary
Demand for chemically synthesized dyes and other materials is increasing with growing populations. ZnO in particular is known for its low cost, water de-toxification abilities, high reaction and mineralization rates, and large number of active sites that enhance degradation of dyes under ultraviolet (UV) illumination [9,10,11]. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted research attention due to their low cost, low environmental impact, and rapid degradation of toxic dyes from wastewater. We prepared crystalline-shaped ZnO nanoflowers (NFs) using an active compound found in sea buckthorn (SBT) fruit to produce crystalline nanoparticles that may enhance the degradation rate of toxic dyes. Sea buckthorn ZnO nanoflowers (SBT-ZnO/NFs) have been used as green nano catalysts because of their crystallinity, shape, high dye-degradation efficiency (99%), and rapid action (
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