| Authors |
Thakur, S; Bains, A; Kumar, A; Goksen, G; Yaqoob, M; Parvez, MK; Al-Dosari, MS; Chawla, P |
| Abstract |
Whey is the primary waste material of the dairy industries; therefore, the present study focuses on the valorization of milk processing industry-originated liquid whey into valuable products, specifically liquid whey carbon quantum dots (LW-CQDs) for pathogenic bactericidal and photocatalytic dye reduction efficacy. Facile synthesis of fluorescent LW-CQDs was carried out by employing a green hydrothermal approach at 200 degrees C for 12 h. Several analytical techniques were used to confirm the thermally stable spherical particles, measuring 9.04 +/- 0.76 nm size in diameter, primarily composed of carbon and oxygen LW-CQDs. The presence of diverse functional groups (hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbonyl, and methyl groups) of LW-CQDs contributed to overall optical properties, which manifested a blue emission peak at 418 nm with 240 nm excitation wavelength in fluorescence spectroscopy. UV-Visible spectra featured two peaks (pi -> pi * transition of C = C bonds and n -> pi * transition of C = O bonds) at around 249 and 293 nm, respectively. Moreover, the synthesized LW-CQDs exhibited a significantly higher zone of inhibition (25.98 +/- 0.17 mm) and significantly lower minimum inhibitory concentration (4.47 +/- 0.01 mu l/ml) against the Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, LW-CQDs revealed a higher killing rate of reaction for S. aureus as compared to K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and S. typhi and remarkably degraded 92.95 % of brilliant red dye under visible light (2000 lux). Hence, these facile LW-CQDs hold potential for applications in the effectiveness of antimicrobial and photocatalytic dye reduction activity, which show valuable contributions to both waste valorization and sustainable material development. |
