Rapid and Cost-Effective Biosynthesis of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Its Application as an Efficient Catalyst for Dye Removal in Aqueous Media

In the last decade, many cases of modified chemical processes for the green synthesis of nanomaterials have been reported. Considering the remarkable properties of nanomaterials and environmental issues, a rapid and biocompatible approach as a new option for the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) using Chenopodium album )C.album(leaf extract, as a renewable and non-toxic reducing agent and an effective stabilizer, was presented in this study. It is noteworthy that the current synthesis process can provide the possibility of rapid, cheap, and high efficiency production of CuO nanoparticles with a spherical morphology (135 nm) at ambient temperature and pressure. Optimization of important parameters in the formation of CuO-NPs, such as pH, copper ion concentration, the quantity of leaf extract, and incubation time and temperature was examined. The formation of CuO-NPs was confirmed by UltraViolet-Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Owing to the good stability and superior catalytic activity of the synthesized CuO-NPs, they were used to degrade methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes as water colour contaminants in the presence of NaBH4 at room temperature. The reaction process was monitored using UV-visible measurements at regular intervals. According to the reaction conditions, reduction of MB and RhB occurred at 8 min and 52 min, respectively.