Lignin Derived Biofabrication of Magnetic Iron Nanoparticles from Moringa oleifera

Medicinal plants are known to possess secondary metabolites, which have a wide array of biological activities. One such medicinal plant is Moringa oleifera. The present study is based on the biosynthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles using M. oleifera lignin extract from its stems, concentration-dependent antioxidants, and free radical scavenging activity. The stem was used to extract lignin, which was further used to rapidly synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles under mild conditions. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the thermal stability of these nanoparticles was checked by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM analysis revealed that the nanoparticles were spherical, and the diameter ranged from 80-86nm. The nanoparticles showed good antioxidant activity as they were obtained from lignin extract.