Biosynthesis of tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles using jujube fruit for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes

In this study, tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were synthesized via a green route using jujube fruit as a non-toxic, renewable reducing agent, and excellent stabilizer. The biosynthesized SnO2 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of the novel SnO2 nanoparticles was investigated for degradation of two organic dyes which were named methylene blue (MB) and eriochrome black-T (EBT) under direct sunlight. An excellent performance was observed and about 90% and 83% of degradation efficiencies were achieved for MB and EBT, respectively. The high stability of the photocatalyst also makes SnO2 nanoparticles easily to reuse at least four times without any remarkable loss in activity. (C) 2019 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.