Efficient catalytic reduction of nitroarenes and organic dyes in water by synthesized Ag/diatomite nanocomposite using Alocasia macrorrhiza leaf extract

In this work, we reported preparation of the silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) supported on natural diatomite surface as a cheap support using Alocasia macrorrhiza leaf extract. The existing phytochemicals in the A. macrorrhiza leaf extract converts the silver ions to Ag NPs on diatomite as a natural support. The green synthesized Ag/diatomite nanocomposite was characterized by using various analytical techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, EDS. The synthesized Ag NPs were identified using FT-IR and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The Ag/diatomite nanocomposite was used as an effective nanocatalyst for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH), methyl orange (MO), Congo red (CR) and Nigrosin (NS) using sodium borohydride at ambient temperature. Furthermore, the Ag/diatomite nanocomposite can be recovered and reused five times without marked loss of its catalytic activity.