Carthamus tinctorius-Mediated Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Evaluation of Biological and Dye Degradation Activities

Textile effluent comprises a wide range of dyes and heavy metals. When released into the environment without treatment, it causes massive environmental damage. Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) is widely grown around the globe and is best known for its pharmacological effects and biological activities. The current study was designed to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles using a flower extract in different solvents, characterize the nanoparticles using scanning electron microscopy, and evaluate their antibacterial, antioxidant, and decolorization capabilities for dyes. The efficacy of these nanoparticles in decolorization and remediation of the target dye was also evaluated. Ethyl acetate irradiated safflower extract exhibited maximum inhibition against E. coli, while aqueous irradiated safflower extract unveiled maximum antioxidant activity. Using various optimization parameters, the synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles were used to degrade the Reactive Black 8 dye. The degradation of target dye was maximal (88.7%) under optimal experimental conditions (pH= 7 and temperature= 40oC). The decrease in chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon was 84.35% and 83.24%, respectively. Finally, the dye decolorization pathway was 85.33% and 83.24%, respectively.. This research suggests that synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles from safflower is effective in removing Reactive Black 8 dye but might also be evaluated for removing other dyes from textile wastewater.