Ficus-mediated green synthesis of manganese oxide nanoparticles for adsorptive removal of malachite green from surface water

Investigations on Chemically Synthesized Pure and Doped Manganese Dioxide Nanoparticles for Dye Removal and Photocatalytic Applications

Pure and Mg2+, Ni2+, Cd2+ doped MnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method. These samples were characterised by PXRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR, PL, Antibacterial, Cyclic Voltammetry, Dye Degradation and Photocatalytic studies. From the powder XRD studies, the crystallite size of the particle was calculated using Scherer formula and found that the synthesized nanoparticles were in the range from 10 to 12 nm. The morphology of all the synthesized samples was viewed from SEM micrograph. The composition and purity of the samples were identified from EDX studies. In FTIR spectra metal-oxygen stretching and bending modes of vibrations were observed. From the absorption spectra of UV-Vis optical analysis values of absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, refractive index, real and imaginary part of optical dielectric constant and optical conductivity were compared. The band gap energy obtained from Tauc's plot varies from 1.21 to 1.51 eV exhibits semiconducting behaviour of all the synthesized samples. Investigations on photoluminecsence spectrum reveals blue shift in wavelength for doped nanooxides compared to pure MnO2. Antimicrobial activity of synthesised samples against gram positive and gram negative bacteria was determined. The obtained results reveal very high bacterial resistance in Cd2+ doped MnO2 nanoparticles with higher activity towards bacterial resistance compared to standard drug. The specific capacitance values were determined from Cyclic Voltammetry studies. Using the batch method of dye removing technique the percentage of malachite green dye removal was calculated. Also the photocatalytic efficiency of all the synthesized MnO2 samples in removing malachite green dye was studied by exposing to sunlight for different dosage and contact time. Ni2+ doped MnO2 shows relatively higher % of dye degradation capacity about 93% for 0.1 g of dosage of photocatalysts.

Green synthesis of MnO2-embedded Rauvolfia tetraphylla leaves (MnO2@RTL) for crystal violet dye removal and as an antibacterial agent

The application of green synthesized nanocomposites for the prevention of environmental pollution is increasing nowadays. Here, a green composite has been synthesized by embedding MnO2 on Rauvolfia tetraphylla leaves using its leaf extract hereinafter termed as MnO2@RTL, and demonstrated for crystal violet (CV) dye removal from simulated and real wastewater. The surface properties of the material were determined by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area, pHZPC, and zeta potential. The material exhibits a remarkable adsorption capacity of 61.162 mg/g at 328 K and pH 7. The adsorption was best fitted with Pseudo-second-order kinetic (R2 = 0.998) and a combination of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm model (R2 = 0.994-0.999). The thermodynamic study revealed spontaneous (ΔG values =  - 2.988 to - 4.978 kJ/mol) and endothermic (ΔH values = 6.830 to 11.018 kJ/mol) adsorption. After adsorption, 80% regeneration occurred with 50% methanol, and recycled up to five times. Advantageously, the material was able to remove CV dye in the presence of coexistent ions and from industrial wastewater, confirming field applicability. The adsorption capacity of the material is superior to previously reported materials. The standard deviation and relative standard deviations have been evaluated to be 0.000422-0.000667 and 0.473-0.749%, which suggests the reliability of the experiments. The exhausted material, after recycling, was pyrolyzed to overcome the disposal problem. It was established as a secondary adsorbent with 73% efficiency which makes the material win-win. The material showed antibacterial properties with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria with a zone of inhibition 5 mm.