Synthesis of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles using Ultrasound for the Treatment of Textile Organic Dyes (Reactive Black 5 and Basic Blue 3)

Abstract

This paper describes the ultrasound assisted synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles using copper nitrate trihydrate and ammonium carbonate as reactants. The resultant product, copper carbonate was calcined at 400°C which was chosen based on the thermogravimetric analysis of copper carbonate precipitate. The final product CuO nanoparticles characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), particle size analyzer (PSA) and Brunner-Emmet-Teller surface area analyzer (BET) reveals that the particles posses high purity, average particle size of 14 nm, uniformity in shape (spherical), better in particle size distribution and moderate surface area. The catalytic activity of the synthesized CuO nanoparticles on the Reactive Black 5 and Basic Blue 3 dye treatment showed effective removal efficiency of 91 and 63% respectively.

Keywords: Ultrasound, copper oxide nanoparticles, characterization, dye treatment