Green Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticle Catalyst Using Manihot esculenta (Cassava) Peels Waste Extract and Their Application for the Degradation of Pharmaceutical Wastewater

Abstract

The synthesized iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis.  In addition, environmental impact assessment was conducted through reusability tests and toxicity assessments using Clarias gariepinus and Chlorella vulgaris which revealed the low risk of the FeNPs in the environment. The BET analysis revealed that the FeNPs have a high surface area of 407.111 m²/g, pore volume of 0.190 cm³/g, and an average pore size of 2.398 nm indicating microporosity. The XRD analysis confirmed a stable face-centred cubic crystal structure with the UV-Vis result confirming successful formation of iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized by cassava peel phytochemicals. The SEM-EDX revealed an irregular, agglomerated and porous morphologies with iron as the dominant element, characteristic of green-synthesized iron nanoparticles. FTIR analysis showed the presence of bioactive compounds which confirms that cassava peel extract served dual functions as both a reducing and stabilizing agent while TGA confirms thermal stability up to 4000C. The synthesized FeNPs showed remarkable catalytic activity achieving an 88% degradation of paracetamol and 83% of ampicillin under optimized conditions of pH 5 and temperature 800C. These findings have added value to the existing research in the field of green nanotechnology and contributes to developing safer alternatives in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment, providing environmentally friendly agricultural practices while protecting human health and ecosystems.