Synthesis and characterization of sugarcane bagasse cellulose-capped silver nanoparticle using ultrasonic irradiation for the adsorption of heavy metal

Metal nanoparticles are often used as an alternative to conventional adsorbents for water purification. They have higher adsorptive capabilities and affinity towards pollutants while being required in lower amounts than conventional adsorbents. Nano-adsorbents have shown superior adsorption efficiencies towards trace heavy metals in water, which are a significant pollutant in industrial wastewaters. It is desirable to synthesize the nano-adsorbents in a rapid, controlled, eco-friendly, and low-cost manner, using agro-industrial residues and size-controllable irradiation methods. In this work, silver nanoparticles were synthesized through ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of cellulose derived from sugarcane bagasse. The cellulose functioned as the capping agent to promote the synthesis of uniform, monodisperse silver nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The result indicates that the newly developed cellulose-based adsorbent can be used as a potential heavy metal adsorbent. The adsorptive capability of the nano-adsorbent solution towards trace amounts of lead was then tested using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. It can be concluded that the newly developed biomass-based silver nanoparticle has significant potential as a versatile heavy metal adsorbent for effective remediation.