Biogenic preparation of zero-valent iron nanoparticles and evaluation of anti-cancer effect and heavy metal removal

In this research, a new environmentally friendly protocol for manufacturing of zero iron nanoparticles (Fe(0) NPs) using herbal tea flowers was proposed. The transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses were used to characterize the crystal structure and morphology of the fabricated Fe(0) NPs. The prepared Fe(0) NPs were exerted for adsorptive uptake of Pb(II) from aqueous medium. The investigation of equilibrium data involved the examination of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The Pb(II) adsorption closely aligned with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The estimated maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(II) was 46.5 mg/g. To assess the removal process kinetics, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equations were utilized. Among these, the pseudo-second-order equation demonstrated the optimal fit, indicating that the removing of heavy metal associated with by chemisorption. The study also investigated the cytotoxic effect of the as-prepared Fe(0) NPs on the common fibroblast cancer cell line (HSkMC). The MTT assay investigations on cell viability demonstrated that the bio-synthesized Fe(0) NPs exhibited notable cytotoxicity versus fibroblast cancer in humans. The Fe(0) NPs prepared in this work have proven to be effective in the fields of heavy metal removal and cancer treatment. [Display omitted] •An environmental friendliness strategy was employed for the fabrication of Fe(0) NPs.•Fe(0) NPs were utilized as an effective and recyclable sorbent for Pb(II) elimination.•Good anticancer property was achieved against fibroblast cancer cell line (HSkMC) at various concentrations of Fe(0) NPs.