Green Synthesis of Zinc Sulfide Nanoparticles using Jatropha curcas Linn. for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

Green synthesis of materials such as nanoparticles pose several advantages including greener and lesser volume of waste generation making it a less hazardous and eco-friendly alternative. Nanoparticles have been used widely for treatment of wastewater. In the study, synthesis of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles were conducted through green synthesis using Jatropha curcas Linn latex and its photocatalytic activity in degrading methylene blue was determined. Synthesized zinc sulfide nanoparticles were characterized based on its absorbance and average size determined through microscopic analysis. Absorbance analysis showed that there is dependency on the concentration of nanoparticles and latex formulations used. The average size of the synthesized nanoparticles is 80 nm. By monitoring changes in absorbance for 90 minutes, the photocatalytic degradation was determined. Photocatalytic degradation activity of 7.72% was recorded during the first 15 minutes which was the highest reading obtained. These findings suggest that nanoparticles synthesized thru green synthesis may be developed as an eco-friendly and non-hazardous materials for wastewater treatment.