Bio-Synthesized Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles from Dypsis lutescens: Optimized Photocatalytic Decolorization of Red ME4BL Dye under Sunlight/Tungsten Illumination

In this work, we developed a cost-effective and eco-friendly strategy to synthesize nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) using Dypsis lutescens leaves extract, which is an alternative to conventional chemical procedures. FTIR (Ni–O bond vibrations), XRD (average crystallite size: 16.50 nm), SEM (interconnected and somewhat agglomerated particles), EDX (existence of Ni and O) and UV–Vis spectroscopy (absorption peak at 285 nm) confirmed the synthesis of NiO NPs. The distinctive feature of this work is the successful photocatalytic degradation of Red ME4BL dye by using NiO NPs, achieved by using two different light sources: sunlight (pH 4, 9 mg catalyst, 10 ppm dye, 300 min) and tungsten lamp (pH 6, 15 mg catalyst, 15 ppm dye, 300 min). The remarkable dye removal effectiveness of the NPs indicated their promising role for wastewater treatment. The findings of this study demonstrated the potential of using these green-mediated NiO-NPs as an eco-friendly and cost-effective tool for the removal of reactive dyes from wastewater.