Biosynthesis and characterization of zerovalent iron nanoparticles and its application in azo dye degradation

Abstract

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) have been prepared a simple, green and eco-friendly route using leaves extract as reductants. The produced nZVI are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential measurement, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis to ascertain the formation of zero-valent iron nanoparticles. The FTIR results show that the polyphenolic compounds present in the leaf extract may be responsible for capping the nanoparticles synthesis. The X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) spectrum confirms the presence of iron metal. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the biosynthesized nZVI reveals that the nZVI had an average diameter of 26 nm.The green synthesized nanoparticles have been further utilized for the adsorption of methyl orange dye (MO) through a batch technique. The effective processing parameters for dye removal such as adsorbent (nZVI) dosage, initial dye concentration and the solution pH are investigated. The adsorption efficiency of MO reach to almost 100% within 30 min using 0.3 g/L nZVI at room temperature.