GREEN SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CODOPED ZnO NANOPARTICLES VIA THE ACCUMULATION OF COBALT ION ONTO PISTIA (Pistia stratiotes L.,) PLANT TISSUE AND ITS PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY TOWARD ORGANOSULFUR POLLUTANTS

Water pollution has recently become a serious global problem and hence researchers were focusing to develop innovative methods for the purification of water and then getting access to purified water by reducing pollution. As a result, the current study concentrated on synthesizing cobalt-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles by accumulating cobalt ions on Pistia (Pistiastratiotes L.) plant tissue and combining them with zinc acetate precursor. Further, the synthesized particles were analyzed for their efficiency in photo-desulphurization of organo sulphur compounds such as Dibenzothiophene and 2,5-dimethyl thiophene. Various characterization studies proved that the nanoparticles were oval in shape and had particle sizes of 8-34 nm and the particles were distributed with less aggregation. The particles have 47 % of zinc element and 21% cobalt with hexagonal (wurtzite) crystalline structure. The synthesized Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were utilized for the desulfurization of Sulphur containing pollutants such as dibenzothiophene and 2,5-dimethyl thiophene. The results proved that rapid desulfurization was observed during the initial time of the study. The % desulfurization of 14.36±0.136 and 19.63±0.201% was observed within 5 min of the study for dibenzothiophene and 2,5-dimethyl thiophene. Whereas the high % desulfurization was noticed within less time of 25 min wherein the % desulfurization was observed to be 95.61±0.279 and 93.66±0.137 for dibenzothiophene and 2,5-dimethyl thiophene respectively. The removal of harmful heavy metals utilizing the Pistia plant and recycling in the wastewater treatment process may therefore be inferred as being highly valued. Additionally, the Co-doped ZnO photocatalysts might improve photocatalytic activity owing to the catalysts' porosity and the hole recombination and electron suppression.