Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Tetracycline Adsorption: Experimental Insights and DFT Study
Solhe F. Alshahateet,
Salah A. Al-Trawneh,
Mohammed Er-rajy,
Mohammed Zerrouk,
Khalil Azzaoui,
Waad M. Al-Tawarh,
Belkheir Hammouti,
Rachid Salghi,
Rachid Sabbahi,
Mohammed M. Alanazi,
Larbi Rhazi
Affiliations
Solhe F. Alshahateet
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mutah University, Mutah, Karak 61710, Jordan
Salah A. Al-Trawneh
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mutah University, Mutah, Karak 61710, Jordan
Mohammed Er-rajy
LIMAS Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
Mohammed Zerrouk
Engineering Laboratory of Organometallic, Molecular Materials and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
Khalil Azzaoui
Engineering Laboratory of Organometallic, Molecular Materials and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, Morocco
Waad M. Al-Tawarh
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mutah University, Mutah, Karak 61710, Jordan
Belkheir Hammouti
Euromed Research Center, Euromed Polytechnic School, Euromed University of Fes, UEMF, Fes 30030, Morocco
Rachid Salghi
Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Environment, ENSA, University Ibn Zohr, P.O. Box 1136, Agadir 80000, Morocco
Rachid Sabbahi
Research Team in Science and Technology, Higher School of Technology of Laayoune, Ibn Zohr University, Laayoune P.O. Box 3007, Morocco
Mohammed M. Alanazi
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Larbi Rhazi
Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, Université d’Artois, ULR 7519, 19 rue Pierre Waguet, BP 30313, 60026 Beauvais, France
An eco-friendly approach was used to fabricate zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using thyme, Thymus vulgaris L., leaf extract. The produced ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. The ZnO NPs showed remarkable adsorption efficiency for tetracycline (TC) from water systems, with a maximum removal rate of 95% under optimal conditions (10 ppm, 0.10 g of ZnO NPs, pH 8.5, and 30 min at 25 °C). The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-2nd-order model, and the adsorption process fitted the Temkin isotherm model. The process was spontaneous, endothermic, and primarily chemisorptive. Quantum chemistry calculations, utilizing electrostatic potential maps and HOMO-LUMO gap analysis, have confirmed the stability of the TC clusters. This study suggests that green synthesis using plant extracts presents an opportunity to generate nanoparticles with properties suitable for real-world applications.
