Green synthesis of copper oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Santalum album leaf extract for enhanced wastewater treatment

The release of effluent from organic dyes has become a serious threat in the growth of the textile sector. These organic dyes contaminate drinking water which may leads to the development of cancer in humans. The semiconductor nanoparticles like CuO and TiO₂ can be utilized for degrading dye contaminants through the photocatalysis process. The present study examines a simple green synthesis of stabilized CuO and TiO₂ NPs using S. album leaf extract. The phase purity of the synthesized nanoparticles are confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystalline size of CuO and TiO₂ NPs are calculated as 15 nm and 17 nm, respectively. CuO nanoparticles exhibit a narrow bandgap and broad absorption in the visible region. The calculated energy bandgap of CuO and TiO₂ NPs are found to be 1.35 eV and 3.2 eV, respectively. Elemental analysis is performed by using the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The size, surface, and morphological analysis are also investigated using various nano-characterization methods like SEM and HRTEM. The dye removal efficiency of cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic Congo red (CR) using synthesized nanoparticles as a photocatalyst under visible light irradiation was determined along with kinetics studies. The degradation percentage of CuO NPs is found to be 91% and 72% for MB and CR dyes, respectively. CuO and TiO₂ NPs prepared using S. album leaf extract can be used in the wastewater treatment method.