Green, sustainable and eco-friendly approach for extraction of silica nanoparticles from <i>Ananas comosus</i> and <i>Saccharum ravannae</i> : a comparative study of dye removal from aqueous solution

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) were extracted in an eco-friendly manner from the crown of Ananas comosus (pineapple, AC SiNPs) and leaves of Saccharum ravannae (weed grass, SR SiNPs). Initial studies were performed to examine the adsorption of various cationic (Methylene blue, MB; Safranin, SA), anionic (Trypan Blue, TB; Eosin yellow, EY), and neutral dyes (Neutral red, NR). The investigation revealed that the maximum removal was achieved at an adsorbent dose of 1 g L−1 at an optimum pH of 7–8, at an equilibrium contact time of ∼15 mins for the dye concentration of 10 mg L−1 at 298 K. Adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model, indicating multi-layered heterogeneous adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for MB, SA, and NR was found to be 81.3 mg g−1, 21.74 mg g−1, and 24.75 mg g−1 respectively, for AC SiNPs. The qmax for SR SiNPs was found to be 78.12 mg g−1, 47 mg g−1, and 70 mg g−1 for MB, SA, and NR respectively. Moreover, desorption studies showed that till 4–5 cycles, >90% of the removal efficiency was retained. Thus, the biogenic and non-toxic SiNPs can be a greener, eco-friendly alternative material for dye removal from wastewater.