GREEN SYNTHESIS OF COPPER OXIDE NANOPARTICLES USING CARICA PAPAYA LEAF EXTRACT FOR ADSORPTIVE REMOVAL OF WATER HARDNESS
Keywords:
Green synthesis, CuO nanoparticles, Carica papaya, Adsorption, Water hardness Removal, Complexometric titrationAbstract
Water hardness, primarily driven by divalent cations such as Ca2+ and Mg2+, poses significant technical and economic challenges for both domestic and industrial sectors. Traditional remediation techniques are often limited by high operational costs and adverse environmental impacts. This study investigates the green synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles as a sustainable and cost-effective adsorbent for water softening. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), which confirmed a crystalline structure with an average crystallite size of 9.6 nm (Scherrer equation), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, which validated the presence of functional groups and CuO phase through characteristic vibrational modes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) further revealed the surface morphology and particle distribution of the adsorbents. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted on real-world water samples, demonstrating a reduction in total hardness from an initial 174 mg/L to 40 mg/L. Under optimized conditions, the CuO nanoparticles achieved a maximum removal efficiency of 77%. The adsorption mechanism suggests that the high surface-area-to-volume ratio facilitates rapid sequestration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions via surface complexation or ion exchange. These results indicate that plant-mediated CuO nanoparticles represent a viable, eco-friendly, and high-performance alternative for advanced water purification.
References
Abdelmonem, B. H., Kamal, L. T., Elbaz, R. M., Khalifa, M. R., & Abdelnaser, A. (2025). From contamination to detection: The growing threat of heavy metals. Heliyon, 11(1).
Alfaifi, A. H., Alkhattaby, L. A., El-Qahtani, Z. M., Al-Ghamdi, W., Althobaiti, H. A., Al-Balawi, S., . . . Rajeh, A. (2025). An insight into the influence of CuO NPs on the structural, dielectric, optical, and conductivity properties of PEO/PVA-CuO nanocomposite for energy storage nanoelectronic devices. Emergent Materials, 8(1), 263–277.
Baral, J., Pokharel, N., Dhungana, S., Tiwari, L., Khadka, D., Pokhrel, M. R., & Poudel, B. R. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Mentha (mint) leaves characterization and its antimicrobial properties with phytochemicals screening. Journal of Nepal Chemical Society, 45(1), 111–121.
Boddu, S., Marri, B. P., Katika, R. M., Mikkili, I., Dulla, J. B., Allugunulla, V. N., . . . Khan, A. A. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) using Ricinus communis: Efficient photocatalytic dye degradation and antibacterial applications. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 236(4), Article 209.
Dhoke, S. K. (2025). Determination of total hardness of water sample by titration using double burette method: An economical approach. Chemistry Teacher International, 7(3), 545–552.
Ezeoke, C. H., Sadiq, Z., Safiabadi Tali, S. H., & Jahanshahi-Anbuhi, S. (2025). Reverse titration using tablets for accurate water hardness measurement with improved resistance to interference. Chemosensors, 13(10), Article 365.
Gaddigal, A. T., Shivappa, P., Ganeshkar, M. P., Mirjankar, M. R., Poojari, P. B., Huyilagola, P. V., . . . Kamanavalli, C. M. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Simarouba glauca leaf extract, characterization and screening for their biological applications. Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, 46(12), 1916–1930.
Ge, Y., Wang, W.-M., & Liu, T. (2025). An isothermal titration calorimetry method for monitoring the removal of ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid from apo-proteins. Results in Chemistry, 16, Article 102373.
Hadkar, V. M., & Selvaraj, C. I. (2025). Characterization and investigating the potential therapeutic effects of phyto-assisted CuO and Zn-doped CuO nanoparticles from Calophyllum apetalum (Willd.) leaf extract. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 104, Article 106530.
Joolaei Ahranjani, P., Dehghan, K., Esfandiari, Z., & Joolaei Ahranjani, P. (2025). A systematic review of spectroscopic techniques for detecting milk adulteration. Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry, 1–32. Advance online publication.
Kalaiyan, G., Topare, N. S., Sikiru, S., Thambidurai, S., Kandasamy, M., Pugazhenthiran, N., . . . Suresh, S. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Euphorbia heterophylla leaf extract for deactivation of pathogenic bacteria and photocatalytic degradation of industrial dyes. Results in Engineering, 26, Article 104797.
Kalesh, K. N., & Vadhavaniya, S. (2025). Modern trends in volumetric analysis: A comprehensive review of redox, complexometric and diazotization titrations in drug estimation. Journal of Advance and Future Research, 3(11), 107–124.
Manimehala, U., Asha, S., Tomy, M., Anu, M., Sumitha, M., Kumar, P., . . . Binoy, J. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles from Camellia sinensis extract: Effects of calcination temperatures on antimicrobial activity. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 769, Article 151963.
Moroda, M. D., Deressa, T. L., Tiwikrama, A. H., & Chala, T. F. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract and evaluation of its antimicrobial activity. Next Materials, 7, Article 100337.
Rogóż, W., Owczarzy, A., Kulig, K., & Maciążek-Jurczyk, M. (2025). Ligand-human serum albumin analysis: The near-UV CD and UV-Vis spectroscopic studies. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 398(3), 3119–3131.
Selim, H. M. R. M., Saleh, A., Soliman, N. R., Abdelkhalig, S. M., Mattar, E., Mahmoud, M. M., . . . Hamed, A. A. (2025). Myco-fabricated CuO NPs and chitosan-conjugated CuO nanoparticles using endophytic Aspergillus sp. JAWF3: Targeting E. coli outer membrane for enhanced antibacterial and biofilm inhibition. Inorganic Chemistry Communications, 178, Article 114361.
Singh, A. V., Bansod, G., Schumann, A., Bierkandt, F. S., Laux, P., Nakhale, S. V., . . . Luch, A. (2025). Investigating tattoo pigments composition with UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy supported by chemometric modelling. Current Analytical Chemistry, 21(8), 988–1004.
Swarna, S., Govindarajan, V. U., Anbalagan, A., Christopher, D., & Muthuraman, M. S. (2025). Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Ziziphus oenoplia extract and its dye degradation properties. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 15(19), 26725–26736.
Veg, E., Raza, A., Rai, S., Sharma, S., Pandey, A., Imran Ahmad, M., . . . Khan, T. (2025). Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity evaluation of CuO NPs and B‐CuO NPs obtained from Livistona chinensis leaf extract. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 22(2), Article e202401596.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors are permitted to post their work online in institutional/disciplinary repositories or on their own websites. Pre-print versions posted online should include a citation and link to the final published version in Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication as soon as the issue is available; post-print versions (including the final publisher's PDF) should include a citation and link to the journal's website.
