Eco-Friendly Photocatalytic Treatment of Dyes with Ag Nanoparticles Obtained through Sustainable Process Involving Spirulina platensis

Agnieszka Sidorowicz, Giacomo Fais, Francesco Desogus (), Francesco Loy, Roberta Licheri, Nicola Lai, Giacomo Cao and Alessandro Concas ()
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Agnieszka Sidorowicz: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Giacomo Fais: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Francesco Desogus: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Francesco Loy: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, SS 554, Km 4.5, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
Roberta Licheri: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Nicola Lai: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Giacomo Cao: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Alessandro Concas: Interdepartmental Centre of Environmental Science and Engineering (CINSA), University of Cagliari, Via San Giorgio 12, 09124 Cagliari, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: The development of efficient photocatalysts is crucial in addressing water pollution concerns, specifically in the removal of organic dyes from wastewater. In this context, the use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) might represent a method to achieve high dye degradation efficiencies. On the other hand, the classical Ag NP production process involves several reactants and operating conditions, which make it poorly sustainable. In the present work, Ag NPs were synthesized according to a new sustainable process involving the use of natural extracts of Spirulina platensis and milder operating conditions. The material was also calcined to determine the influence of organic content on the properties of Ag NPs. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis displayed the AgCl and Ag phases with a crystalline size of 11.79 nm before calcination. After calcination, only the Ag phase was present with an increased crystalline size of 24.60 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the capping role of the metabolites from the extract. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed the spherical or quasi-spherical morphologies with agglomeration due to the calcination. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses further confirmed the involvement of metabolites in the synthesis of Ag NPs. The optical changes in the products were observed in a UV-Vis analysis. The Ag NPs were tested for their photocatalytic activity against the laboratory dye brilliant blue r in visible light in various conditions. The highest degradation efficiency of 81.9%, with a k app value of 0.00595 min −1 , was observed in alkaline medium after 90 min of light irradiation.

Keywords: Spirulina platensis; sustainable production of silver nanoparticles; photocatalytic degradation; advanced oxidation process; sustainable chemistry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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