Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The catalytic behavior of metal oxide nanomaterials for removal of organic pollutants under dark ambient conditions, without any additional stimulant, is of great interest among the scientific community. METHODS: In this account, a nanomaterial of ternary metal oxides (MoO(3)-NiO-PdO-Pd) was synthesized via greener approach and was explored for degradation of methyl orange in water environment in dark ambient conditions in comparison with light conditions. The biochemical species of Abies pindrow were treated with aqueous solution of precursor's salt following sol gel synthesis strategy. We further attuned morphology and chemistry of MoO(3)-NiO-PdO-Pd by incorporating bioactive compounds of A. pindrow. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: The bio-fabricated MoO(3)-NiO-PdO-Pd revealed outstanding catalytic behavior with 92% degradation of methyl orange within 15 min in the dark at ambient temperature and pressure. Whereas, in the presence of visible light irritation, the catalyst degraded 97% of methyl orange in 15 min. According to the reaction kinetics of degradation, the catalysts illustrated good stability in light (R(2)=0.93) as well as in dark conditions (R(2)=0.98). Furthermore, the outstanding reusability and recyclability of the synthesized nanomaterial was observed for four runs of the experiment under dark and light conditions. CONCLUSION: Therefore, A. pindrow-synthesized MoO(3)-NiO-PdO-Pd nanocatalyst demonstrated significant potential for detoxification of organic pollutants for water remediation.