Title : Multifunctional green synthesised copper nanoparticles using Allium cepa peel extract
Abstract:
Wastewater from industrial and domestic sources is frequently contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as coliforms. Therefore, the present study focused on the limitation of such contaminants from water through the application of nanomaterials. Nanomaterials have been rapidly developed during the last decades, yet many of the nanoparticles produced using traditional methods are hazardous, and the process of synthesising them is not environmentally friendly. Green synthesis is one of the promising pathways for biologically active nanoscale materials. This study reports an environmentally friendly synthesis method for copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) using an Allium Cepa peel (or onion peel) extract (OPE). The Cu-NPs biological reduction and size were optimized by controlling the physicochemical parameters namely; temperature, pH, and reaction time. The biosynthesized Cu-NPs were then characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, HR-TEM, DLS, and XRD analyses. The prepared OPE-CuNPs exhibited significant biological potential against waterborne the pathogenic strain Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results revealed that the biosynthesized OPE-CuNPs exhibited high antimicrobial activity at low concentrations; with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Furthermore, the synthesized OPE-CuNPs were employed as photo-catalysts for the degradation of methyl orange dye water pollutants water and remarkably presented 96 % degradation efficiency under sunlight.
