Abstract
In this work, Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a simple green method using a toxic agent-free route for photocatalytic purposes, toward methylene blue (MB) removal in water under sunlight irradiation. The effects of operating parameters, such as catalyst dosage, dye concentration, and pH, on the MB removal efficiency, were investigated. The presence of Ag on the ZnO structure resulted in superior catalytic activity compared to the pure ZnO sample. High removal efficiency for MB, corresponding to 95%, was obtained in 30 min of reaction time only, using Ag-doped ZnO NPs. This result can be related to its smaller bandgap energy (1.92 eV) when compared to the ZnO sample (2.85 eV). The material presented a satisfactory level of reusability after three consecutive cycles. In addition, a reaction mechanism for MB photodegradation onto Ag-doped ZnO NPs under sunlight irradiation was suggested. Overall, the catalyst prepared via the green route in this work exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity under sunlight for MB degradation in an aqueous solution.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Ahmad KS, Jaffri SB (2018) Phytosynthetic Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles: semiconducting green remediators: Photocatalytic and antimicrobial potential of green NPs. Open Chem 16(1):556–570
Ahmad I, Ahmed E, Ullah M, Rana AM, Manzoor MF, Rasheed MA, Mehtab U (2018) Synthesis and characterization of silver doped ZnO nanoparticles for hydrogen production. J Ovonic Res 14(6):415–427
Akinbami O, Moepya R, Ngubeni GN, Tetyana P, Mubiayi KP, Moloto MJ, Moloto N (2021) Lead-free Rudorffite-type Cs3Bi2Br9 nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue. J Photochem Photobiol A: Chem 113460.
Akyüz D (2021) rGO-TiO2-CdO-ZnO-Ag photocatalyst for enhancing photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Opt Mater 116:111090
Alamdari S, Sasani Ghamsari M, Lee C, Han W, Park HH, Tafreshi MJ, Ara MHM (2020) Preparation and Characterization of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Sambucus ebulus. Appl Sci 10(10):1–19
Aparicio JR, Samaniego-Benítez JE, Tovar MAM, Benítez JLB, Muñoz-Sandoval E, Betancourt MLG (2021) Removal and surface photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue on carbon nanostructures. Diam Relat Mater 108544.
Ashebir ME, Tesfamariam GM, Nigussie GY, Gebreab TW (2018) Structural, optical, and photocatalytic activities of Ag-doped and Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles. J Nanomater 2018.
Badawi AK, Zaher K (2021) Hybrid treatment system for real textile wastewater remediation based on coagulation/flocculation, adsorption and filtration processes: performance and economic evaluation. J Water Proc Eng 40:101963
Bagherzadeh M, Kaveh R (2018) A new SnS2-BiFeO3/reduced graphene oxide photocatalyst with superior photocatalytic capability under visible light irradiation. J Photochem Photobiol a: Chem 359:11–22
Basumatary B, Basumatary R, Ramchiary A, Konwar D (2021) Evaluation of Ag@ TiO2/WO3 heterojunction photocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic activity towards organic pollutant. Chemosphere 131848.
Bhuiyan MSH, Miah MY, Paul SC, Aka TD, Saha O, Rahaman MM, Ashaduzzaman M (2020) Green synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticle using Carica papaya leaf extract: application for photocatalytic degradation of remazol yellow RR dye and antibacterial activity. Heliyon 6(8):e04603
Cao D, Gong S, Shu X, Zhu D, Liang S (2019) Preparation of ZnO nanoparticles with high dispersibility based on oriented attachment (OA) process. Nanoscale Res Lett 14(1):1–11
Chand K, Cao D, Fouad DE, Shah AH, Dayo AQ, Zhu K, Dong S (2020) Green synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic application of silver nanoparticles synthesized by various plant extracts. Arab J Chem 13(11):8248–8261
Chauhan R, Kumar A, Chaudhary RP, Education T (2010) Synthesis and characterization of silver doped ZnO NPs. Arch Appl Sci Res 2(5):378–385
Chauhan A, Verma R, Kumari S, Sharma A, Shandilya P, Li X, Kumar R (2020) Photocatalytic dye degradation and antimicrobial activities of Pure and Ag-doped ZnO using Cannabis sativa leaf extract. Sci Rep 10(1):1–16
Chen H, Xue C, Cui D, Liu M, Chen Y, Li Y, Zhang W (2020) Co3O4–Ag photocatalysts for the efficient degradation of methyl orange. RSC Adv 10(26):15245–15251
Chitradevi T, Lenus AJ, Jaya NV (2019) Structure, morphology and luminescence properties of sol-gel method synthesized pure and Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Mater Res Express 7(1):015011
Chiu YH, Chang TFM, Chen CY, Sone M, Hsu YJ (2019) Mechanistic insights into photodegradation of organic dyes using heterostructure photocatalysts. Catalysts 9(5):430
de Salomón YL, Georgin J, Franco DS, Netto MS, Foletto EL, Allasia D, Dotto GL (2021) Application of seed residues from Anadenanthera macrocarpa and Cedrela fissilis as alternative adsorbents for remarkable removal of methylene blue dye in aqueous solutions. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28(2):2342–2354
Devi MS, Abinaya S, Maiyalagan T, Keerthiga G (2020) Nanorods of α-Bi2O3 for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Mater Today: Proc.
Drumm FC, de Oliveira JS, Foletto EL, Dotto GL, Moraes Flores EM, Peters Enders MS, Janh SL (2018) Response surface methodology approach for the optimization of tartrazine removal by heterogeneous photo-Fenton process using mesostructured Fe2O3-suppoted ZSM-5 prepared by chitin-templating. Chem Eng Commun 205(4):445–455
Drumm FC, Grassi P, Georgin J, Franco DP, Tonato D, Foletto EL, Dotto GL, Jahn SL (2022) Applicability of amethyst mining rejects as a novel photo-fenton catalyst for the abatement of an emerging pollutant in water. Appl Geochem 136:105136
El-Bindary AA, Ismail A, Eladl EF (2019) Photocatalytic degradation of reactive blue 21 using Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles. J Mater Environ Sci 10(12):1258–1271
Fageria P, Gangopadhyay S, Pande S (2014) Synthesis of ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag NPs and their photocatalytic application using UV and visible light. RSC Adv 4(48):24962–24972
Fan G, Ma Z, Li X, Deng L (2021) Coupling of Bi2O3 nanoparticles with g-C3N4 for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Ceram Int 47(4):5758–5766
Faraz M, Ansari MZ, Khare N (2018) Synthesis of nanostructure manganese doped zinc oxide/polystyrene thin films with excellent stability, transparency and super-hydrophobicity. Mater Chem Phys 211:137–143
Georgekutty R, Seery MK, Pillai SC (2008) A highly efficient Ag-ZnO photocatalyst: synthesis, properties, and mechanism. J Phys Chem C 112(35):13563–13570
Georgin J, Yamil LDO, Franco DS, Netto MS, Piccilli DG, Foletto EL, Dotto GL (2021) Successful adsorption of bright blue and methylene blue on modified pods of Caesalpinia echinata in discontinuous system. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28(7):8407–8420
Gnanaprakasam A, Sivakumar VM, Thirumarimurugan M (2016) A study on Cu and Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of brilliant green dye: synthesis and characterization. Water Sci Technol 74(6):1426–1435
Grassi P, Drumm FC, da Silveira SJ, Silvestri S, da Boit MK, Dotto GL, Jahn SL (2020) Investigation of the reaction pathway for degradation of emerging contaminant in water by photo-Fenton oxidation using fly ash as low-cost raw catalyst. Int J Environ Res 14(4):427–438
Guo MY, Ng AMC, Liu F, Djurišić AB, Chan WK, Su H, Wong KS (2011) Effect of native defects on photocatalytic properties of ZnO. J Phys Chem C 115:11095–11101
Guo L, Okinaka N, Zhang L, Watanabe S (2021) Molten salt-assisted shape modification of CaFe2O4 nanorods for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Opt Mater 119:111295
Hammouche J, Daoudi K, Columbus S, Ziad R, Ramachandran K, Gaidi M (2021) Structural and morphological optimization of Ni doped ZnO decorated silicon nanowires for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Inorg Chem Commun 131:108763
Hoag GE, Collins JB, Holcomb JL, Hoag JR, Nadagouda MN, Varma RS (2009) Degradation of bromothymol blue by ‘greener’ nano-scale zero-valent iron synthesized using tea polyphenols. J Math Chem 19(45):8671–8677
Iqbal A, Cerrón-Calle GA, Naqvi SAR, Westerhoff P, Garcia-Segura S (2021) Green synthesis of flower-shaped copper oxide and nickel oxide nanoparticles via Capparis decidua leaf extract for synergic adsorption-photocatalytic degradation of pesticides. Catalysts 11(7):806
Joel C, Badhusha MSM (2016) Green synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles using Phyllanthus embilica Stem extract and their Antibacterial activity. Der Pharm Lett 8(11):218–223
Jubu PR, Yam FK, Igba VM, Beh KP (2020) Tauc-plot scale and extrapolation effect on bandgap estimation from UV–vis–NIR data–a case study of β-Ga2O3. J Solid State Chem 290:121576
Karunakaran C, Rajeswari V, Gomathisankar P (2011) Combustion synthesis of ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO and their bactericidal and photocatalytic activities. Superlattices Microstruct 50(3):234–241
Khatri A, Rana PS (2020) Visible light assisted photocatalysis of Methylene Blue and Rose Bengal dyes by iron doped NiO nanoparticles prepared via chemical co-precipitation. Phys B: Condens Matter 579:411905
Labhane PK, Sonawane SH, Sonawane GH, Patil SP, Huse VR (2018) Influence of Mg doping on ZnO nanoparticles decorated on graphene oxide (GO) crumpled paper like sheet and its high photo catalytic performance under sunlight. J Phys Chem Solids 114:71–82
Lakhera SK, Watts A, Hafeez HY, Neppolian B (2018) Interparticle double charge transfer mechanismofheterojunction-Fe2O3/Cu2O mixed oxide catalysts and its visible light photocatalytic activity. Catal Today 300:58–70
Liang H, Li T, Zhang J, Zhou D, Hu C, AnX LR, Liu H (2020) 3-D hierarchical Ag/ZnO@CF for synergistically removing phenol and Cr(VI): heterogeneous vs. homogeneous photocatalysis. J Coll Interf Sci 558:85–94
Liu Y, Yu H, Lv Z, Zhan S, Yang J, Peng X, Wu X (2012) Simulated-sunlight-activated photocatalysis of Methylene Blue using cerium-doped SiO2/TiO2 nanostructured fibers. J Environ Sci 24(10):1867–1875
Mosavi SA, Ghadi A, Gharbani P, Mehrizad A (2021) Photocatalytic removal of Methylene Blue using Ag@CdSe/Zeoilte nanocomposite under visible light irradiation by Response Surface Methodology. Mater Chem Phys 267:124696
Mossmann A, Dotto GL, Hotza D, Jahn SL, Foletto EL (2019) Preparation of polyethylene–supported zero–valent iron buoyant catalyst and its performance for Ponceau 4R decolorization by photo–Fenton process. J Environ Chem Eng 7(2):102963
Mumanga TJ, Díaz-Torres LA, Gómez-Solís C (2021) Nd3+ doped BaAl2O4 for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Mater Lett 292:129664
Patil BN, Taranath TC (2016) Limonia acidissima L. leaf mediated synthesis of zinc oxide NPs: a potent tool against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Int J Mycobacteriol 5(2):197–204
Patil SS, Mali MG, Tamboli MS, Patil DR, Kulkarni MV, Yoon H, Kale BB (2016) Green approach for hierarchical nanostructured Ag-ZnO and their photocatalytic performance under sunlight. Catal Today 260:126–134
Ponraj C, Vinitha G, Daniel J (2019) Photocatalytic degradation of acid red-85 dye by nickel substituted bismuth ferrite nanoparticles. Mater Res Express 6(8):084006
Preigschadt IA, Bevilacqua RC, Netto MS, Georgin J, Franco DSP, Mallmann ES, Pinto D, Foletto EL, Dotto GL (2022) Optimization of ketoprofen adsorption from aqueous solutions and simulated effluents using H2SO4 activated Campomanesia guazumifolia bark. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29:2122–2135
Punnakkal VS, Jos B, Anila EI (2021) Polypyrrole-silver nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under sunlight irradiation. Mater Lett 298:130014
Rafique S, Kasi AK, Kasi JK, Aminullah Bokhari M, Shakoor Z (2020) Fabrication of silver-doped zinc oxide nanorods piezoelectric nanogenerator on cotton fabric to utilize and optimize the charging system. Nanomater Nanotechnol 10:18479804–19895741
Rajendran R, Mani A (2020) Photocatalytic, antibacterial and anticancer activity of silver-doped zinc oxide NPs. J Saudi Chem Soc 24(12):1010–1024
Ravishankar TN, Manjunatha K, Ramakrishnappa T, Nagaraju G, Kumar D, Sarakar S, Dupont J (2014) Comparison of the photocatalytic degradation of trypan blue by undoped and silver-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles. Mater Sci Semiconductor Proc 26:7–17
Rosaline DR, Suganthi A, Vinodhkumar G, Inbanathan SSR, Umar A, Ameen S, Akhtar MS, Foletto EL (2022) Enhanced sunlight-driven photocatalytic activity of SnO2-Sb2O3 composite towards emerging contaminant degradation in water. J Alloys Compd 897:162935
Roy JS, Morency S, Messaddeq Y (2021) Ultrafast cleaning of methylene blue contaminated water accelarating photocatalytic reaction rate of the BiVO4 nanoflakes under highly intense sunlight irradiation. J Photochem Photobiol 7:100037
Safian NAM, Nor RM, Rafaie HA, Sani SFA, Osman Z (2018) Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue with silver doped ZnO nanoparticles grown on microscopic sand particles. Malays J Anal Sci 22(2):270–278
Senthilkumar N, NandhaKumar E, Priya P, Soni D, Vimalan M, Potheher IV (2017) Synthesis, anti-bacterial, antiarthritic, anti-oxidant and in-vitro cytotoxicity activities of ZnO nanoparticles using leaf extract of Tectona Grandis (L.). New J Chem 41:10347–10356
Sharma N, Kumar J, Thakur S, Sharma S, Shrivastava V (2013) Antibacterial study of silver doped zinc oxide nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Drug Invention Today 5(1):50–54
Silvestri S, de Oliveira JF, Foletto EL (2019) Degradation of methylene blue using Zn2SnO4 catalysts prepared with pore-forming agents. Mater Res Bull 117:56–62
Silvestri S, Stefanello N, Sulkovski AA, Foletto EL (2020) Preparation of TiO2 supported on MDF biochar for simultaneous removal of methylene blue by adsorption and photocatalysis. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 95(10):2723–2729
Singh S, Khare N (2015) Reduced graphene oxide coupled CdS/CoFe 2 O 4 ternary nanohybrid with enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability: a potential role of reduced graphene oxide as a visible light responsive photosensitizer. RSC Adv 5(117):96562–96572
Singh R, Barman PB, Sharma D (2017) Synthesis, structural and optical properties of Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic properties by photo degradation of organic dyes. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 28(8):5705–5717
Singhal A, Gupta A (2019) Sustainable synthesis of silver nanoparticles using exposed X-ray sheets and forest-industrial waste biomass: assessment of kinetic and catalytic properties for degradation of toxic dyes mixture. J Environ Manage 247:698–711
Tanudjaja HJ, Hejase CA, Tarabara VV, Fane AG, Chew JW (2019) Membrane-based separation for oily wastewater: a practical perspective. Water Res 156:347–365
Türkyılmaz ŞŞ, Güy N, Özacar M (2017) Photocatalytic efficiencies of Ni, Mn, Fe and Ag doped ZnO nanostructures synthesized by hydrothermal method: The synergistic/antagonistic effect between ZnO and metals. J Photochem Photobiol a: Chem 341:39–50
Vignesh S, Suganthi S, Sundar JK, Raj V, Devi PRI (2019) Highly efficient visible light photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of PVP capped Cd: Ag: ZnO photocatalyst nanocomposites. Appl Surf Sci 479:914–929
Xu D, Cao S, Zhang J, Cheng B, Yu J (2014) Effects of the preparation method on the structure and the visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag2CrO4. Beilstein J Nanotechnol 5(1):658–666
Yan M, Wu Y, Zhu F, Hua Y, Shi W (2016) The fabrication of a novel Ag3VO4/WO3 heterojunction with enhanced visible light efficiency in the photocatalytic degradation of TC. Phys Chem Chem Phys 18(4):3308–3315
Yu X, Zhang J, Chen Y, Ji Q, Wei Y, Niu J, Yao B (2021) Ag-Cu2O composite films with enhanced photocatalytic activities for methylene blue degradation: analysis of the mechanism and the degradation pathways. J Environ Chem Eng 106161.
Zhang X, Qin J, Xue Y, Yu P, Zhang B, Wang L, Liu R (2014) Effect of aspect ratio and surface defects on the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods. Sci Rep 4(4596):1–8
Zheng Y, Chen C, Zhan Y, Lin X, Zheng Q, Wei K, Zhu J, Zhu Y (2007) Luminescence and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanocrystals: correlation between structure and property. Inorg Chem 46:6675–6682
Acknowledgements
S.S.R. Inbanathan wishes to thank UGC-DAE- CSR, Indore Center, India.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Conceptualization: (M. Jarvin); Methodology: (S. Ashok Kumar, D. Rani Rosaline), Formal analysis and investigation: (S. Ashok Kumar, D. Rani Rosaline); Writing—original draft preparation: (M. Jarvin, S. Ashok Kumar, D. Rani Rosaline, S. S. R. Inbanathan); Writing—review and editing: (G. L. Dotto, E. L. Foletto); Funding acquisition: (S. S. R. Inbanathan); Supervision: (S. S. R. Inbanathan). All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jarvin, M., Kumar, S.A., Rosaline, D.R. et al. Remarkable sunlight-driven photocatalytic performance of Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles prepared by green synthesis for degradation of emerging pollutants in water. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 57330–57344 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19796-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19796-6