Waste hazelnut shell based effective hydrothermal carbon/SnO2 nanoparticles: Towards electrochemical sensing of catechol in green tea, fruit juice, and urine samples

Abstract

This study focused on the electrochemical detection of catechol (CC), a carcinogenic for humans and a periodic environmental pollutant found in consumed food and beverages and has low degradability and high toxicity in the ecological environment. Also, in this study, for the first time, a new and green electrochemical detection platform was developed for the detection of CC through green carbon material (HZ) recycled from waste hazelnut shells with the hydrothermal carbonization technique (HTC) and SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs). The morphology, surface chemistry, chemical structure, and physicochemical properties of the synthesized green-based functional carbon material and SnO2 NPs were thoroughly investigated and elucidated using different characterization techniques. Thus, a green perspective was contributed to the studies of researchers working on CC detection in designing new types of nanosensors and developing electrode modifications. On GCE with an HZ-SnO2 modification, the effects of pH, the supporting electrolyte, and the scan rate on the electrochemical behavior of CC were investigated. The limit of detection (LOD) of the proposed nanosensor for CC was determined as 8.51 nM and the linearity range was determined as 0.80–80 µM under optimal conditions using adsorptive stripping differential pulse voltammetry (AdsDPV).The developed new type, the green method, has been performed to detect the CC in green tea, fruit juice, and urine samples with sufficient accuracy and precision.