Green Synthesis and Characterization of Zero-Valent Iron Nano-particles from Croton Macrostachoius Plant Leaf Extract for Hexavalent Chromium Removal from Aqueous Solution

Water is considered a fundamental element for all life and a valuable natural resource on the earth, and it is essential for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes. Recently the quality of water supplies has been degrading largely by human activities. Nowadays, the contamination of water by heavy metal chromium is one of the most significant issues on the globe, and it needs particular attention due to its non-biodegradability. Heavy metals like hexavalent chromium have negative impacts on human health, even in very low quantities. This study was aimed to green synthesis and parameters optimization of zero-valent iron nano-particles from croton macrostachoius leaf extract for the removal of chromium from aqueous water. The synthesis of fe0 NPs was confirmed by uv–visible analysis, FTIR, XRD, zeta potential (zp) and sem characterization. The obtained results showed that the synthesized zero valent iron nano-particle has an excellent removal efficiency of 95.5%. Thus, the studied synthesized fe0 NPs are considered a favorable adsorbent for hexavalent chromium.