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Silver-nickel bimetallic nanoparticles were produced through a green synthesis route using leaf extract from Vernonia amygdalina as a reducing and capping agent. Characterisation confirmed a face-centred cubic structure with an average crystallite size of roughly 30 nanometres, along with a relatively uniform shape and distribution. Functional groups from the plant extract, including phenols, alkanes, alkenes, and nitro compounds, were identified on the nanomaterial. When tested in a photo-reactor under ultraviolet light at 350 nanometres, the nanoparticles acted as an effective photocatalyst for degrading methylene blue dye in aqueous solutions. The process achieved a maximum degradation efficiency of 98.50 per cent with a maximum degradation capacity of 0.4 milligrams per gram. Reaction kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model, whilst thermodynamic analyses confirmed that the photocatalytic breakdown was both spontaneous and endothermic.
Synthetic dyes used in industrial processes frequently contaminate water supplies and present environmental hazards. This research demonstrates an eco-friendly approach to producing bimetallic nanoparticles from a common plant extract without toxic chemicals. The resulting material provides a high-efficiency method for breaking down organic dye pollutants under ultraviolet light, offering an environmentally sustainable avenue for wastewater treatment.
This research demonstrates laboratory-scale synthesis and testing, indicating early-stage development. The process could be relevant to wastewater treatment providers, textile dye remediators, and chemical manufacturing facilities seeking greener effluent treatment options. Because the material was tested only in batch adsorption experiments within a laboratory photoreactor, significant scale-up, continuous-flow testing, and cost-benefit assessments against conventional catalysts are required before industrial deployment can occur.
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Nanoparticles are increasingly gaining scientific attention due to their wide range of applications, particularly in photocatalysis, as well as the growing interest in their synthesis. In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye was examined under UV light in a photo-reactor with a wavelength of 350 nm, utilizing an eco-friendly and non-toxic method. Silver-nickel bimetallic nanoparticles were synthesized using Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract and characterized through SEM, UV-Vis, XRD, and FT-IR techniques. The UV-Vis spectrum of the nanoparticles showed a maximum absorbance at 300 nm, attributed to the surface plasmon resonance and the bio-reduction and capping agent present in the leaf extract. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of O-H stretching, likely from hydroxyl alcohol and phenols at 3584.73 cm-1, C-H stretching of alkanes at 2852 cm-1, C=C stretching of alkenes at 1651 cm-1, and an N-O symmetry stretch of nitro compounds at 1542 cm-1. SEM images revealed that the particles have a relatively uniform shape, with even distribution and homogeneity. XRD analysis showed peaks at 2θ values of 2.16°, 34.53°, 44.08°, and 64.32°, corresponding to the (110), (111), (210), and (311) planes, respectively. This confirmed a Face-Centered Cubic (FCC) structure, with an average crystallite size of 29.97 nm, calculated using the Scherrer equation. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was studied under varying conditions through a batch adsorption experiment. The bimetallic nanoparticles exhibited high efficiency in dye degradation, achieving a maximum degradation rate of 98.50%. Kinetic studies followed a pseudo- first-order model (R2 = 0.9991). Thermodynamic calculations revealed a negative ΔGo and positive ΔHo, indicating that the photocatalytic degradation of MB dye by the nanoparticles is a spontaneous and endothermic process. The nanocatalyst's maximum photocatalytic degradation capacity was found to be 0.4 mg/g, representing a 98.50% degradation efficiency. These findings suggest that the synthesized nanocatalyst is an effective absorbent for the photocatalytic degradation of MB dye in aqueous solutions.
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DOI: 10.38124/ijisrt/25mar045
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