Unlocking the potential of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles for degradation of synthetic organic dyes as wastewater pollutants

Abstract

The azo dyes released into water from different industries are accumulating in the water bodies and bioaccumulating within living systems thereby affecting environmental health. This is a major concern in developing countries where stringent regulations are not followed for the discharge of industrial waste into water bodies. This has led to the accumulation of various pollutants including dyes. As these developing countries also face acute water shortages and due to the lack of cost-effective systems to remove these pollutants, it is essential to remove these toxic dyes from water bodies, eradicate dyes, or generate fewer toxic derivatives. The photocatalysis mechanism of degradation of azo dyes has gained importance due to its eco-friendly and non-toxic roles in the environment. The zinc nanoparticles act as photocatalysts in combination with plant extracts. Plant-based nanoparticles over the years have shown the potential to degrade dyes efficiently. This is carried out by adjusting the dye and nanoparticle concentrations and combinations of nanoparticles. Our review article considers increasing the efficiency of degradation of dyes using Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and understanding the photocatalytic mechanisms in the degradation of dyes and the toxic effects of these dyes and nanoparticles in different tropic levels.

Biogenic Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: An Insight into the Advancements in Antimicrobial Resistance

“…Next, the desired concentration of zinc nitrate, oxide, or sulfate is added to it, and the mixture is boiled. 52,53 At this point, we can also optimize the different conditions like temperature, pH, extract concentration, and incubation time. During the incubation period, drop-wise addition of sodium hydroxide is performed, which sometimes promotes the change of color of the mixture to yellow, which indicates visual confirmation of the synthesis of nanoparticles.…”

Green Synthesis of Bioinspired Nanoparticles Mediated from Plant Extracts of Asteraceae Family for Potential Biological Applications

“…Nanoparticles have been utilized for the degradation of various anionic, catatonic, and neutral dyes [ 181 ]. Dyes, commonly used in paper, plastic, food, cosmetics, leather, textile, and pharmaceutical industries and have proven to be harmful to both aquatic and human life due to their toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects.…”

Biogenic ZnO Nanoparticles Derived from Garcinia gummi-gutta Leaves: Synthesis, Characterization and its Multifaceted Applications

“…The employment of nanoparticles in the photocatalysis process has come under scrutiny recently due to benefits such as their superior macroscopic-scale properties, high surfacevolume ratio and high surface energy. Recent studies on the biogenic nanoparticles have demonstrated that green synthesized metal oxide nanoparticles can effectively break down high molecular weight molecules and emerging pollutants without leaving harmful byproducts in the effluents [3,[7][8][9][10]. Recently, Batra et al [11] reported the review article on the efficient dye degradation strategies using green synthesized ZnO nanoparticles.…”