Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and their role in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye

Nowadays, synthesis of nanoparticles, particularly silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), has become a research priority due to their wide application in medicine and industry. In this study, Ag-NPs were synthesized utilizing aqueous extract of Prosopis farcta fruit and characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the obtained nanoparticles were uniform in size (median 30nm) with spherical shape. The catalytic activity of the synthesized Ag-NPs was studied using methylene blue (MB) in presence of visible light, showing rapid degradation of MB in the first 30min. The results revealed color degradation of 70.20% within the same time, indicating that the synthesized nanoparticles can quickly degrade artificial colorants and eliminate some environmental contaminants.