Green chemistry refers to the design of chemical product and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized successfully from AgNO3 through a simple green synthetic route using Ageratina adenophora leaf extract which acts as both reducing and capping agents. As synthesized AgNPs were characterized with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XRD study shows crystalline nature of silver nanoparticles and average particle size was calculated as 24 nm using Debye Scherrer equation. Functional group responsible for the reduction of silver ion was investigated using FTIR spectroscopy. Hydroxyl group, amine group, aliphatic amine group were detected from FTIR analysis. Further, the green synthesized nanoparticles were found to be highly toxic against bacteria: Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli showing zone of inhibition of 11 mm and 9 mm, respectively. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 9(2): 128-132.

A promising adsorbent, charred water hyacinth (CWH) for the removal of Ca(II) from the aqueous solution was explored by heat treatment of water hyacinth followed by chemical activation with acidified zinc chloride (ZnCl2). The adsorbent was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Batch adsorption techniques were conducted for Ca(II) adsorption to assess the adsorption isotherm, effect of pH, contact time, initial Ca(II) concentration, adsorbent doses, and adsorption kinetics. The SEM micrograph illustrates the rough and irregular surface morphology and EDX spectra confirm the successful adsorption of Ca(II) on the adsorbent surface. The equilibrium adsorption data better fitted to the Freundlich isotherm model having a maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of 319.75 mg/g. The highest percentage of adsorption was found at pH 1.5. The adsorption of Ca(II) by CWH decreased at the higher metal concentration and lower adsorbent doses. The adsorption of Ca(II) ions onto CWH followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. . Overall, these results suggested that the as-prepared CWH can be used as an eco-friendly, economical and efficient alternative for the removal of Ca(II)  from the aqueous solution.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized by green synthesis using Azadirachta indica leaf extract as both reducing and stabilizing agent. Synthesis of colloidal AgNPs was monitored by UV- visible spectroscopy. The UV- visible spectrum showed a peak at 455 nm corresponding to the plasmon absorbance of the silver nanoparticles. Crystallite structure of silver nanoparticles was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis which revealed the face-centered cubic structure (FCC) with average particle size of 8.9 nm, calculated using Debye-Scherrer’s equation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image revealed the agglomeration of small grain with particle size ranging from 2 to 14 nm. FCC crystalline nature was also evident from selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis. High purity of as-synthesized AgNPs was analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Band gap energy was calculated to be 2.7 eV from UV- Visible spectra. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was stabilized by AgNPs which reveals its antioxidant efficacy. Well diffusion method showed 7 mm to 12 mm zone of inhibition (ZOI) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively confirming the antibacterial potential of AgNPs. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 9(3): 220-226.