Author(s)
Keerththana Sivapatham, Ratnasothy Srikaran
Abstract
Wastewater from the textile industry is a major source of water contamination, primarily due to its high concentration of residual dyes. Even in small quantities, these dyes are toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic, posing significant risks to both aquatic life and human health. This has led to an urgent need for the development of cost-effective and sustainable methods for water purification. In a recent study, copper oxide (CuO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesised using a method with Spondias dulcis leaf extract. Acetate salts were added to a basic medium (pH 12) leaf extract, and the mixture was stirred, centrifuged, and then calcined at 400°C for two hours. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. UV-Visible analysis confirmed the presence of ZnO nanoparticles with a peak at 365 nm and CuO nanoparticles with a peak at 345 nm. FTIR analysis indicated that phytochemicals from the plant extract played a role in the synthesis and from XRD results indicated that synthesized ZnO and CuO nanoparticles were hexagonal and monoclinic with 18.71 and 21.90 nm, respectively. The nanoparticles were tested for their ability to degrade Methylene Blue (MB) dye. CuO nanoparticles proved to be more effective, achieving a 96.2% degradation rate, while ZnO nanoparticles reached 92%. The optimal conditions for dye removal were identified as follows: a pH of 12, a dye concentration of 10 ppm, a contact time of 90 minutes, a nanoparticle dosage of 0.2 g/L, and a temperature of 45°C. This research highlights a promising, eco-friendly approach to cleaning dye-contaminated water.