PHYTOSYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING Dryopteris filix-mas (MALE FERN) AND ITS POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN THE REMEDIATION OF TEXTILE WASTEWATER

Abstract

Textile industries discharge large volumes of wastewater containing potentially toxic elements (PTEs), which pose serious environmental and public health risks. This study reports the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott leaf extract and evaluated their potential for the remediation of textile wastewater collected from Idi-Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The synthesised AgNPs were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the PTEs concentrations before and after treatment were quantified by an atomic absorbance spectrometer. The untreated wastewater contained 0.990 ± 0.089 mg/L chromium (Cr), 0.374 ± 0.144 mg/L lead (Pb), and 0.343 ± 0.036 mg/L cadmium (Cd), with Pb and Cd exceeding the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) permissible discharge limits. However, treatment with the phytosynthesised AgNPs significantly reduced concentrations of all investigated PTEs.  The highest removal efficiency of PTEs was observed in Cr (91.01%), closely followed by Pb, Cd and Cu with 79.98 %, 79.96 % and 70.05 % respectively, while Ni had the lowest at 60.08%. Also, TEM images confirmed the formation of predominantly spherical, crystalline, plant-capped AgNPs with a size range consistent with the XRD pattern. This is largely due to the organic capping agents of the D. filix-mas leaf extract. Finally, this result demonstrates that D. filix-mas-mediated AgNPs can effectively reduce and adsorb hazardous PTEs, offering an eco-friendly and sustainable treatment alternative for raw textile effluent treatment