Green Synthesis of Tin Oxide (SnO2) Nanoparticles Using Ginger Extracts for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes in Wastewater

One of the main issues that has been receiving great attention globally is the pollution of water resources with dyes, as the chemicals present in them are carcinogenic and harmful to aquatic organisms and humans. Metal oxide nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts have recently emerged as the best option to address this problem as they provide an eco-friendly and inexpensive approach for a clean water supply. This study describes the photocatalytic degradation of four different types of dyes-methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RB), Eriochrome black-T (EB), and methyl orange (MO) using tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO₂ NPs) synthesized with ginger (Zingiber officinale) extract. From the results, the SnO₂ NPs play a remarkable role in degrading all the dyes even though they require a longer time to reach maximum degradation. This study also describes the biosynthetic preparation of SnO₂ NPs, which have a tetragonal structure, prepared using the optimum parameters of 0.02 g mL^-1 of ginger extract, 0.5 M of tin (II) chloride dihydrate (SnCl₂.H₂O), and reaction pH of 5. SnO₂ NPs were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) to evaluate their crystallinity and composition, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) to identify the changes in functional groups of SnO₂ NPs, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy to analyze the optical properties of SnO₂ NPs through band gap calculation. The photocatalytic activity of SnO₂ NPs was then studied through their efficiency in degrading the four dyes. A toxicity test was also carried out in this study using brine shrimp (Artemia salina) to ensure the safety of the synthesized SnO₂ NPs made with ginger extract for use in aquatic environments to degrade pollutants. The positive results obtained indicate their potential as a good photocatalyst for water remediation.