Algal Biomass Extract As Mediator for Copper Oxide Nanoparticle Synthesis: Applications in Control of Fungal, Bacterial Growth, and Photocatalytic Degradations of Dyes

Recently, algae have attracted the attention of investigators as a renewable source of compounds that can contribute to nanoparticle creation. The use algae biomass to facilitate preparation of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs), as well as their application, were the aims of the present study. High performance liquid chromatography analysis of algal biomass indicated the presence of daidzein (2550 µg/mL), followed by ellagic acid (596 µg/mL). Algal biomass extract was successful as a bio-reducing agent for CuONPs fabrication at different temperatures up to 50 °C. Transmission electron microscopy characterized the created CuONPs with average size 5 to 17 nm. The colony radius of M. anisopliae, T. harzianum, C. lunata, F. oxysporium, A. flavus, and A. terreus was 1.84 ± 0.08, 1.97 ± 0.03, 1.00 ± 0.08, 2.04 ± 0.03, 2.32 ± 0.06, and 2.42 ± 0.05 cm, respectively at 200 mg of CuONPs. CuONPs exhibited inhibition zones of 26, 23, 25, and 22 mm when tested against B. subtilis, E.coli, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus, respectively. Methyl orange and methyl green dyes were degraded by CuONPs with percentages ranging from 9.5 to 63.7% and from 22.3 to 75.7% at 15 to 90 min, respectively. Therefore, the created CuONPs can be regarded as excellent candidates for controlling fungal/bacterial development and dyes degradation.