Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Red Seaweed for the Elimination of Organic Toxic Dye from an Aqueous Solution

Abstract

This study aims to produce green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) derived from red seaweed (Pterocladia Capillacea) and evaluate their potential to absorb Ismate violet 2R (IV2R) ions from an aqueous solution. UV-vis spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET) were used to analyze the structural, morphological, and optical features of the synthesized nanoparticles. The change in color of the chemical solution revealed the formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The FTIR examination confirmed the synthesis of both Zn and ZnO nanoparticle powder, with a BET surface area of 113.751 m2 g−1 and an average pore size of 2.527 nm for the synthesized adsorbent. Furthermore, the maximum removal effectiveness of IV2R was 99% when 0.08 g ZnO-NPs was applied at a pH of 6, a temperature of 55 °C, and a contact time of 120 min. The dye adsorption capacity of the ZnO-NPs was 72.24 mg g−1. The adsorption process was also controlled by the Freundlich adsorption model and pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics. The adsorption of IV2R ions onto the ZnO-NPs could be represented as a nonideal and reversible sorption process of a nonuniform surface, according to Freundlich adsorption isotherms. In addition, the constant values of the model parameters were determined using various nonlinear regression error functions. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters such as entropy change, enthalpy change, and free energy change were investigated; the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The high capacity of the ZnO-NPs synthesized by red seaweed promotes them as promising substances for applications in water treatment for the removal of IV2R dye from aqueous systems.