In-situ biosynthesis of metallic nanoparticles using Allium sativum and Chondrilla juncea extract: characterization and application in dye decolorization

The synthesis of catalysts has gained specific concern due to their versatile applications in particular azo dye decolorization. In the current work, metallic nanoparticles (copper and silver) were In-situ biosynthesised using Allium sativum and Chondrilla juncea extract. The obtained Allium-copper oxide and Allium-silver oxide materials were analyzed using SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TGA-DTG, SEM, TEM, and XRD techniques. Allium peels had a rough surface, with nanoparticles equally distributed over it. The crystal structure of Allium peels was altered after the addition of CuO and AgO nanoparticles. The highest residual mass values in the prepared materials indicated that the metallic nanoparticles were, in situ, formed. The prepared materials had worse thermal stability than Allium peel powders. The azo dyes, Calmagite and Naphthol Blue Black B were tested in the catalytic power of the resulting materials. The decolorization process was affected by the dye structure, amount of H₂O₂, dye concentration, time of reaction, and temperature of the bath. The activation energy values for Allium-CuO were 18.44 kJ mol^-1 for calmagite, and 23.28 kJ mol^-1 for naphthol blue black, respectively. Nevertheless, the energy values for Allium-AgO were 50.01 kJ mol^-1 for calmagite and 12.44 kJ mol^-1 for Naphthol blue black. The calculated low energy values for the prepared materials suggested the high efficiency of the use of these catalysts in azo dye decolorization under the change of some main experimental conditions.