Bioinspired synthesis of Fe2O3 nanoparticles uing Rosa Rugosa flower extract and their application as a potent alternative disinfecting agent against waterborne pathogens within wastewater management

Background

The serious health dangers associated with waterborne microorganisms have prompted research into substitute disinfectants.

Methods

In this work, the ferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃ NPs) were produced in an green appraoch using Rosa rugosa cv. Plena (RP) extract and evaluated its antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against some pathogens. The synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs were characterized via several techniques, namely UV–Vis, XRD, TEM, average particle size, zeta potential and SEM-EDX. Furthermore, the effectiveness of phyto-synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs as a possible disinfectant against common aquatic infections was examined.

Significant findings

The data illustrated the preparation of Fe₂O₃ NPs with small size (67.77 nm). The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs against the target pathogens were measured, which showed encouraging inhibitory effects, especially at 2xMIC doses. The bacterial species of E.coli was more susceptible to Fe₂O₃ NPs with MIC 62.5 ± 8.3 μg/mL, while for Listeria monocytogenes, MIC value was 250 ± 15.6 µg/mL. Time-kill kinetics revealed the complete inhibition of bacterial growth within 100 min at 2 × MIC concentrations, while biofilm removal tests showed >90% inhibition at concentrations of 750–1000 µg/mL. Additionally, the Fe₂O₃ NPs eradicated harmful bacteria in wastewater samples with a 6-log reduction in cell viability. These findings emphasize the potential of phyto-synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs as a sustainable and effective disinfectant for wastewater treatment.