Aquatic Biodegradation of Methylene Blue by Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized from Azadirachta indica Leaves Extract

The toxicity of methylene blue (MB) dye is increasing gradually in the environment due to human activities which can be reduced more effectively by green synthesis along with nanotechnology. A nanomaterial, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs), is synthesized using leaves extract of Azadirachta indica (Neem) at room temperature. Surface plasmon resonance of biosynthesized material at 232–236 nm clue the formation of NPs of CuONPs. The average size of NPs is found as 21.6 nm using atomic force microscopy. The face centered cubic structure of the CuONPs was analyzed using X-ray diffraction analysis. Biosynthesized NPs effectively degraded MB dye under different reaction conditions like time of contact between CuONPs and MB, dose of the CuONPs, exposure of UV light and temperature of the reaction mixture. The degradation process was optimized on above conditions for the maximum removal of MB dye in wastewater. Graphical Abstract