Nanoparticle synthesis using green leafy plants and dye removal efficiency

Nanoparticles are frequently used in many fields such as medicine, electronics, food and environment. Many physical, chemical and biological methods are being developed for the synthesis of these substances. Synthesis of NP with bacteria, fungi and plants, known as green synthesis, stands out as an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, biocompatible and safe method. In this study, the synthesis of silver nanoparticles was carried out with the biological synthesis approach using plant extracts of collard (Brassica oleracea var. acephala), hazelnut (Corylus avellana var. avellana), and green tea (Camellia sinensis L). The effects of reaction time, plant extract and AgNO3 concentration on silver nanoparticle synthesis were investigated. The characterization of the obtained silver nanoparticles was carried out using Ultraviolet-visible light spectroscopy (UV-VIS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), particle size analysis (mastersizer analysis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis (BET), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis techniques. From the results of the characterization process, it was concluded that nanoparticles were successfully obtained. The biomolecules involved in the reduction and stabilization of silver nanoparticles have been classified by FTIR spectroscopy. TEM, SEM-EDX analyses have revealed that silver nanoparticles have a spherical shape with a dimensions of 100-200 nm. XRD results shows that synthesized silver nanoparticles have a crystal structure with a face-centered cubic structure. Methylene blue (MB) removal efficiency of NP synthesized with different plant extracts and AgNO3 concentrations was investigated. The removal experiments were carried out in 50 mL batch reactors for 24 hours. Removal efficiencies of silver nanoparticles obtained by the reaction of collard, hazelnut, and green tea with 5 mM AgNO3 concentration were calculated as 77.38 %, 99.12 %, and 88.23 %, respectively. Adsorption kinetic models have been studied and pseudo second order kinetic model was found to fit best for each NP type.