Taregh Khalafi - Department of Marine Chemistry, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, P.O. Box ۶۶۹, Khorramshahr, Iran;
Foad Buazar - Department of Marine Chemistry, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, P.O. Box ۶۶۹, Khorramshahr, Iran;
Kamal Ghanemi - Department of Marine Chemistry, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, P.O. Box ۶۶۹, Khorramshahr, Iran;

A novel eco-friendly procedure was developed to produce safer, stable and highly pure zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO Nps) using microalgae Chlorella extract. The ZnO Nps were synthesized simply using zinc nitrate and microalgae Chlorella extract which conducted at ambient conditions. In this recipe, microalgae Chlorella extract acted as the reducing agent and a stabilizing layer on fresh ZnO Nps. UV–visible spectrum was confirmed the formation of ZnO Nps illustrating an absorption peak at 325 nm. XRD results demonstrated that as-prepared ZnO Nps has a high-crystalline hexagonal (Wurtzite) structure, with average size about 18nm in diameter. FT-IR spectral analysis indicated involved functional amide and polyol groups in phytosynthesized ZnO nanopowders. According to SEM and TEM observations, ZnO nanoparticles are well dispersed and has hexagonal shape with the average size of about 20±2.2nm, respectively. Based on gas chromatography analyses, ZnO Nps revealed effective photocatalytic activity toward the removal (96%) of Dibenzothiophene (DBT) contaminant in aqueous solution at mild condition. A possible mechanism of the photo-desulfurization of DBT via green ZnO Nps was also developed.

ZnO nanoparticles, Phytosynthesis, Dibenzothiophene, Photodegradation