Abstract
Catalysis is the most effective method for removing pollution in water resources caused by chemically stable aromatic organic dyes widely used in industrial processes. The use of catalysts that can be prepared by low-costing and simple methods using recyclable natural materials or wastes is important for sustainability. In the presented study, Thymus (thyme) plant aqueous extract was used directly for the stabilization of Ag+ ions without the need for adsorption on any inorganic support material, and then Ag0 nanoparticles were obtained by bioreduction with the natural components contained in the plant extract. The use of Thymus extract stabilized Ag0 nanoparticles, prepared economically and practically by the green method, as catalysts in the reduction of 4-NP dye substrate was investigated. It was observed that the Thymus extract stabilized Ag0 nanoparticle catalyst, which is a particularly ecologically friendly substitute due to its low metal content, catalyzed the reduction reaction of 4-NP substrate with 98% conversion in 5 minutes. The catalytic efficiency of Thymus extract stabilized Ag0 nanoparticles on 4-NP, RhB and MB multi-dye mixture was also investigated and it was observed that they successfully catalyzed without any competition/selectivity.