Microwave-assisted green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and chitosan nanocomposites for the removal of reactive blue-19

The present study investigated the eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles and silver-chitosan nanocomposites with the aid of a microwave. Ligustrum lucidum leaf extract was used as a reducing agent. The suitability of the acquired material was additionally assessed as a nanoadsorbent for eliminating RB-19 dye from aqueous solutions. The synthesized materials were also characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry, Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering and Zeta-Potential analysis. The results presented the successful formation of silver nanoparticles and nanocomposites with a 220–255 nm particle size. The synthesized adsorbents possessed numerous surface functionalities (OH, −CH, C–O, and C = C). The maximum removal rate of 90% was attained through batch adsorption experiments at a pH level of 3, a contact duration of 10 min, an initial dye concentration of 10 mg/L, and an adsorbent dose of 0.25 g/L. The Freundlich isotherm model accurately described the adsorption process’s effectiveness, as demonstrated by the coefficient of determination (R²) exceeding 0.99. The kinetic data showed high fitting with pseudo-second order in all experimental concentrations, indicating chemisorption is the rate-limiting step. Both synthesized materials exhibited promising antibacterial and antifungal potential; however, they were more active against C. albicans with the maximum zone of inhibition (21.5 ± 0.5 and 22.5 ± 0.3 mm), respectively. The findings indicated that employing the microwave-aided green synthesis method is a promising approach to successfully synthesizing silver chitosan nanocomposite material, which can effectively be used to remediate dye from water streams.