Biologically reduced graphene oxide as a green and easily available photocatalyst for degradation of organic dyes.

The disposal of untreated textile industrial wastewater having unmanageable pollutants is a global issue. Eco-friendly remediation technology is needed for the removal of environmental contaminants. In this study, a simple hydrothermal method is adapted to synthesis reduced graphene oxide (PErGO) using Phyllanthus emblica fruits extract and used as a photocatalyst for the degradation of synthetic toxic dyes. The physicochemical properties of green synthesized PErGO are confirmed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction. The I/I ratio is found as 1.02 for GO which is improved to 1.15 for PErGO, which confirms the existence of unrepaired defects after the elimination of negatively charged O moieties from the surface of GO. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis show well-exploited PErGO morphology. The photocatalytic removal of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes is confirmed using UV-vis spectrophotometer. PErGO shows about 92% of MO and 91% of MB degradation within 90 min of sunlight exposure while carried out as a mixed dye degradation. The sustainability of this catalyst is confirmed by testing it for five subsequent degradation cycles and noticed a stable and significant degradation activity. Outcomes from this study suggest that eco-friendly PErGO can be used as an alternate sustainable material to treat a large volume of wastewater from various dye industries.