Bio-Fabrication of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Its Application in Dye Degradation

Every year large amount of untreated dye discharged as effluent by many industries create threat to the environment. To solve this problem, many phsico-chemical techniques are available. Because of their some limitations, biological methods are proved ecofriendly and sustainable. In this paper, photocatalyst based dye removal by nanoparticles (NP) is studied. Use of biologically synthesized NP have made this technique sustainable. Microorganisms from dye contaminated soil were isolated and screened out for heavy metal tolerance. Isolates were then used to synthesize zinc NP. They were then mixed with dye solution and allowed to degrade the dye under sun light. Nanoparticles acted as photocatalyst which improves dye degradation. Dye degraded significantly in NP treated flasks compared to control. A significant dye degradation of nearly 84% in chemical oxygen demand was also achieved. Collectively, bio-synthesized NP can be effectively used in dye degradation. Key Words: Biodegradation, dye, nanoparticles, photocatalysts, Bacillus