Banana Peel Extract-Derived ZnO Nanopowder: Transforming Solar Water Purification for Safer Agri-Food Production
Dušica Jovanović,
Szabolcs Bognár,
Vesna Despotović,
Nina Finčur,
Sandra Jakšić,
Predrag Putnik,
Cora Deák,
Gábor Kozma,
Branko Kordić,
Daniela Šojić Merkulov
Affiliations
Dušica Jovanović
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Szabolcs Bognár
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Vesna Despotović
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Nina Finčur
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Sandra Jakšić
Scientific Veterinary Institute “Novi Sad”, Rumenački Put 20, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Predrag Putnik
Department of Food Technology, University North, Trg Dr. Žarka Dolinara 1, 48000 Koprivnica, Croatia
Cora Deák
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Square 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
Gábor Kozma
Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Square 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
Branko Kordić
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Daniela Šojić Merkulov
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Pure water scarcity is the most significant emerging challenge of the modern society. Various organics such as pesticides (clomazone, quinmerac), pharmaceuticals (ciprofloxacin, 17α-ethynilestradiol), and mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol) can be found in the aquatic environment. The aim of this study was to fabricate ZnO nanomaterial on the basis of banana peel extract (ZnO/BPE) and investigate its efficiency in the photocatalytic degradation of selected organics under various experimental conditions. Newly synthesized ZnO/BPE nanomaterials were fully characterized by the XRD, FTIR, SEM-EPS, XPS, and BET techniques, which confirmed the successful formation of ZnO nanomaterials. The photocatalytic experiments showed that the optimal catalyst loading of ZnO/BPE was 0.5 mg/cm3, while the initial pH did not influence the degradation efficiency. The reusability of the ZnO/BPE nanomaterial was also tested, and minimal activity loss was found after three photocatalytic cycles. The photocatalytic efficiency of pure banana peel extract (BPE) was also studied, and the obtained data showed high removal of ciprofloxacin and 17α-ethynilestradiol. Finally, the influence of water from Danube River was also examined based on the degradation efficiency of selected pollutants. These results showed an enhanced removal of ciprofloxacin in water from the Danube River, while in the case of other pollutants, the treatment was less effective.
