Waste to wastewater treatment: Synthesis of CuO nanoparticles from discarded printed circuit boards for the removal of Methylene Blue under visible light

Abstract

Owing to the swift advancements in the electronic industry and the increased demand, electronic equipment has a reduced lifespan in both developed and developing country markets, causing the generation of tons of electronic waste. The improper disposal of discarded Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) can pose various environmental risks, despite the fact that they are a valuable source of high-purity copper and precious materials. Consequently, there is a significant demand for the recycling of waste PCBs using environmentally friendly and appropriate sustainable resource utilization methods. In this study the metallic clads separated from downsized PCBs are leached into the solution phase and precipitation with an alkaline medium is done to recover Copper Oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). The XRD analysis provided confirmation that the synthesized nanoparticles were monoclinic CuO, free from any impurities. FTIR confirmed that the synthesized product is pure CuO. The surface morphology of the synthesized CuO was revealed through FESEM, which showed irregular morphology. Further confirmation of this was obtained through TEM analysis. Additionally, the direct band gap was measured to be 1.93 eV. The as-synthesized nanoparticles are utilized for the degradation of Methylene Blue when exposed to visible light. Hence e-waste can be useful to produce value-added product to solve environmental problem as well as reducing the problematic e-waste, preserving naturally occurring ores.