Bio-waste and natural resource mediated eco-friendly synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application against dyes contaminated water

Abstract

In recent years, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are being investigated for their photocatalytic application in remediation of dye contaminated water. The utilization of bio-waste and natural resources (plant parts such as fruit, leaves, flowers etc.) materials for the synthesis of ZnO NPs leads to advancement as compared to conventional physical and chemical methods in order to produce inexpensive, eco-friendly and long-term stabilized NPs. The bio-waste and natural resources mediated ZnO NPs synthesis approach eliminates the possibility of hazardous chemical by-products as well as complexity of the reaction steps. In this perspective, this review emphasizes the strategies for the synthesis and stabilization of ZnO NPs using extracts of various bio-waste and plant based materials. The role of phytochemicals from different bio-wastes and their mechanism are discussed here for the ZnO NPs synthesis. A special focus is given to the photocatalytic application of bio-waste mediated ZnO NPs for the remediation of dye contaminated water. In addition, current challenges and prospects for practical application in real environmental fields are also highlighted.

Keywords

• Zinc oxide nanoparticles
• Green synthesis
• Bio-wastes
• Photocatalysis
• Dye degradation