A critical review on Efficiency of Metal oxide for Environmental and Biological Remediation

Abstract

The unique physicochemical qualities of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs), such as their huge surface area and morphological flexibility, high catalytic activity, and superior optical, physical, and biological capabilities, attracted a lot of attention. Their remarkable qualities have made them useful in a number of areas, such as medication delivery, antimicrobials, sensing, environmental cleanup, catalysis, and cancer therapy. Physical, chemical, and biological processes can all be used to create nanoparticles. Physical processes yield very pure nanoparticles, but they require sophisticated equipment and consume lots of energy. Through techniques including chemical reduction, sol-gel, hydrothermal, co-precipitation, and micro-emulsion, chemical synthesis provides a high degree of control over the shape, size, and content of nanoparticles. However, this approach produces hazardous outcomes and uses hazardous materials in several stages. The green approach, on the other hand, incorporates biological materials, plant extracts, bacteria, fungi, algae, and even agricultural waste in its operations, demonstrating affordability, sustainability, and environmental friendliness. The natural phytochemicals found in plant extracts, including flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, terpenes, tannins, proteins, and carbohydrates, make them particularly promising. Compared to their products following traditional synthesis, green synthesis nanoparticles have been shown to be less poisonous, more stable, more compatible with living things, and to have a less environmental impact. Furthermore, because these nanomaterials can produce reactive oxygen species, cause apoptosis, and have cytotoxic effects on cancer cells, they have shown efficacy in photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds, their antibacterial qualities, targeted therapy, and cancer treatment.This article serves as a comprehensive review of the methods of synthesizing nanoparticles, discusses the principles of green synthesis, its biological sources, and presents various applications of metal oxide nanoparticles synthesized via green synthesis in medicine and environment, thus indicating their potential as sustainable materials for technological and clinical applications in the future.