Synthesis of zero valent copper/iron nanoparticles using Piper betle leaves for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminant atorvastatin.

In this study, bimetallic Cu-Fe nanoparticles were synthesized using the green approach with Piper betle leaves, and the removal efficiency of one of the pharmaceutical compounds, Atorvastatin, was investigated. UV, SEM, FTIR, EDAX, particle size, and zeta potential measurements were used to confirm nanoparticle fabrication. The removal efficiency of Atorvastatin (10 mg/L) by bimetallic Cu-Fe nanoparticles was 67% with a contact time of 30 min at pH 4, the adsorbent dosage of 0.2 g/L, and stirring at 100 rpm. Piper betle bimetallic Cu-Fe nanoparticles have demonstrated excellent stability, reusability, and durability, even after being reused five times. Furthermore, the synthesized bimetallic Cu-Fe nanoparticles demonstrated remarkable antimicrobial properties against gram-negative strains such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, gram-positive strains such as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, and fungi such as Aspergillus niger. In addition, the antioxidant properties of the synthesized bimetallic Cu-Fe nanoparticles were assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. The results indicated that the nanoparticles had good antioxidant activity. Thus, using Piper betle extract to make Cu-Fe nanoparticles made the procedure less expensive, chemical-free, and environmentally friendly, and the synthesized bimetallic Cu-Fe nanoparticles helped remove the pharmaceutical compound Atorvastatin from wastewater.