Synthesis of Nanomaterials from Physalis alkekengi L. and Their Removal of Bisphenol A in Water

At present, there are no good methods for disposing of hyperaccumulator plants that have accumulated heavy metals from soil. However, carbon and the metals that can replace some of the nonrenewable mineral products in hyperaccumulator plants are also resources. In this paper, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), ZnO nanoparticles, and CNTs/ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized using Physalis alkekengi L. (Zn hyperaccumulator) as raw materials. It was found that the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were agglomerated, with a mean size of 55.3nm. The synthesized CNTs were middle-hollow, with an outer diameter of 70nm. The outer diameter of CNTs/ZnO nanocomposites was approximately 120nm. The effects of removal of bisphenol A (BPA) in water by synthesized nanomaterials were significantly enhanced. With ultraviolet (Uv) light irradiation for 90min alone, the photodegradation efficiency of BPA (15mg/L) was approximately 4.8%. The combinations of Uv light irradiation (90min) with 10mg CNTs/ZnO, ZnO nanoparticles, and CNTs increased the removal efficiencies of BPA to 86.5, 74.3, and 45.7%, respectively. The methods of synthesis of nanomaterials using a hyperaccumulator have positive effects not only on solving the recycling of the hyperaccumulator but also on decreasing the cost to prepare the photocatalyst.