Efficacy of Biogenic Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Treating Wastewater for Sustainable Wheat Cultivation

Abstract

Water scarcity due to overuse and growing water pollution has led to the need for upgrading of conventional methods of wastewater treatment. The biological synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and their photocatalytic capacity to degrade contaminants offer a promising and environment-friendly approach to municipal wastewater treatment. This technique is advantageous due to its cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and reduction in toxic residual substances. In this study, microbial-synthesized ZnO-NPs were used for the treatment of municipal wastewater. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of treated wastewater for wheat crop cultivation. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized from a pre-isolated bacterial strain, namely Shewanela sp., and characterized using UV–VIS, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. The results showed that after the treatment of wastewater, the concentration of total dissolve solids (TDS), the chemical oxygen demand (COD), and sulfate and phosphate levels decreased by 76.5%, 57.1%, 81.1%, and 67.4%, respectively. However, the application of treated wastewater increased chlorophyll, carotenoids, and antioxidants by 45%, 40.8%, and 10.5 to 30.6%, respectively. Further, the application of treated wastewater also significantly decreased oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) by 8.1% and 30.1%, respectively. In conclusion, biosynthesized ZnO-NPs could be an important choice to treat municipal wastewater and to improve wheat productivity.

Synthesis Characterization and Applications of Nanoparticles in Environmental Detoxification

“…Despite providing high production of nanoparticles, this method has a variety of disadvantages (Waseem et al, 2023). It creates space issues like the furnace takes up a lot of space, a high amount of energy is required in this process, and this enhances the temperature of the surrounding environment (Haidri et al 2023). Finally, this reaction slows down as temperature equals are not easily attained, and it is not easy to reach high temperatures (Ermakova et al, 2001).…”

“…The accessibility of a maximum number of nuclei at a given time showed a reduction in the size of nanoparticles. This is due to smaller metal nuclei which produce and consume metal ions at the same time (Haidri et al, 2023). The reaction time increased, and size reduction took place.…”

“…Research has delved into the consequences of heavy metals on biodiversity, the critical function of microbial communities in environmental detoxification, and the identification of reliable indicators to track the success of removing metals from industrial effluents (P. . The nanoparticles especially magnetic nanoparticles are emerging as a powerful tool in environmental detoxification due to their unique magnetic properties, high surface area, and ability to be manipulated under magnetic fields (Maksoud et al, 2020;Haidri et al, 2023). These nanoparticles are often composed of various coatings to enhance their specificity and affinity for targeted pollutants, including heavy metals, organic compounds, and dyes (Pandiyaraj et al, 2023).…”

Mechanisms and applications of microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticles in agri-sectors

“…The treated wastewater used to irrigate wheat crops improved the quality of wheat crops and reduced the oxidative stress levels of wheat crops. 262 In summary, microbially synthesized MNPs demonstrate great potential in dye degradation, offering new pathways for the reuse of agricultural wastewater.…”