Water Treatment Using Zinc Nanoparticles and Apricot Plant Extracts from Organic and Inorganic Pollution

: The apricot plant was washed, dried, and powdered after harvesting to produce a fine powder that was used in water treatment. created an alcoholic extract from the apricot plant using ethanol, which was then analysed using GC-MS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy to identify the active components. Zinc nanoparticles were created using an alcoholic extract. FTIR, UV-Vis, SEM, EDX, and TEM are used to characterize zinc nanoparticles. Using a continuous processing procedure, zinc nanoparticles with apricot extract and powder were employed to clean polluted water. Firstly, 2 g of zinc nanoparticles were used with 20 ml of polluted water, and the results were Tetra 44% and Levo 32%; after that, we used 4 g (Tetra 100% and Levo 100%). Secondly, an apricot plant was used to treat water (Tetro 100%, Levo 100%). When apricot powder and zinc nanoparticles were compared in treatment water, apricot-zinc nanoparticles were preferred. Thirdly, we treated the water from some heavy metals (2 g after 25 min; Fe 99.50%, 88.75%, Cr 99.10%, Pb 100%, Sb 95%, Cd 95%, Cu 100%), and added 4 g of nanoFe 98.75%, 96.40%, Cr 83.40%, Pb 100%, Sb 77.50%, Cd 95.80%, and Cu 100%.


Introduction:
Pollution is the introduction of substances that cause a negative change to the environment. Pollution may be solid, liquid, or gaseous. Environmental pollution is no longer a local problem, but has become a global problem due to the accumulation of its impact and the delay in implementing solutions 1 .Pollutant concentration is affected by the social, cultural, and physical environment 2 . Organic and inorganic pollution are the two types of chemical pollution; organic pollution includes carbon and hydrogen. 3 Because of the high percentage of toxic substances and low element concentrations, inorganic pollution, which includes all elements except C-H, is more dangerous 4 . We discuss this in our research on water pollution. Any chemical or physical change caused by human consumption, whether direct or indirect, is not suitable for use by humanitarians, animals, or vegetarians 5 . We employ treatments such as plant extract assisted biogenesis. Merging plants with chemical materials is one of the most effective and non-toxic methods for preparing nanomaterials because it is a good way and includes many uses for plants 6 . Another definition for "green nano" is a method used to integrate plants with chemicals. It is one of the most effective, fast, ineffective, and environmentally friendly modalities. It is common for usefulness methods to be a very important way that includes multiple plants using the plant in the nut and nanotechnology prevention prepared to benefit the environment. [7][8][9] . In this work, we will investigate the treatment of heavy metals, antibiotics, and pesticides polluting water using zinc nanoparticles in combination with alcoholic apricot extract processed using customised columns. In order to cleanse water tainted with phenols and aromatic chemicals, silver nanoparticles have already won the use of extracts utilisingspecialised capsules 10 . In other studies, ZnNPs were combined with alcoholic cumin leaf extract to clean water of inorganic pollutants. 11 .

Materials and instrumentation
A Shimadzu-3800 Spectrometer equipped with a FTIR in the range of 4000-400 cm1 was used as a detector, and the following chemical substances were used: ethanol (20%), methanol (65%), zinc sulfate, ascorbic acid, sodium hydroxide, and polyvinyl alcohol. A Shimadzu 160 spectrophotometer was used to find the electronic spectrum data. Compounds were analysed for mass indication using a Shimadzu Mass 100P. This study used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to manage the analysis and describe the size and surface of the nanoparticles. The best technique for determining the NPs' morphology is TEM. A sample is passed through an intense electron beam during this technique for microscopy, and the outcome of the electrons' interactions with the material is the creation of a picture. A little drop of nanoparticles was applied to a copper grid that had a carbon coating, and it was left to dry under a mercury lamp for five minutes. Finally, readings were taken under stable voltage conditions at magnifications of 5000x, 10000x, 20000x, and 50000x. To validate the presence of the zinc nanoparticles, EDX measurements were performed using a high-resolution chemical composition in a sample.

Plant harvest and preparation for grinding and extraction
The apricot plants used in this study came from the Kadhimiya District in Iraq's Baghdad Governorate. It was thoroughly cleaned with deionized water many times to get rid of any impurities, dried at room temperature, and then ground into a very fine powder using a special laboratory grinder for 15 seconds. Alcoholic apricot extract was produced by mixing a solution of 65% methanol, 20% ethanol, and 15% free ionised water, allowing it to sit for a while, and then heating it to 50C. It was condensed simultaneously for eight hours using a laboratory condenser. At 50 °C, the extraction procedure is carried out, and then evaporation and condensation are used to boost enrichment the aim of this paper treatment pollutant water included some inorganic metals (Fe, Pb, Sb, Cd, Cu, Cr) and antibiotic (Tetro, Levo) by using firstly zinc nanoparticle with apricot plant extract, secondly apricot plant powder.

Preparation of zinc nanoparticles
The following steps were used to manufacture zinc nanoparticles with apricot extract, using a modified version of Elumalai's method: Placing 10 ml (20%) of apricot extract and 1000 ml of pure water in a round flask, the flask was left to be heated and stirred at different temperatures. After one minute, 17.5 g of zinc sulphate was added gradually while being continuously stirred 12 . The mixture's acidity was then equalised by adding pure sodium hydroxide. The mixture was then put into a glass container and heated to 200°C for two hours. The filtered solution separates from the precipitate to complete the separation, and the precipitate is then collected and dried from the remaining water in A furnace set to 70°C will be used to do the drying; after it has been crashed, 17.5g of zinc sulphate will be gradually added to finish the mixing of the components. The green powder that was produced is kept in a container for characterization. 13 . The aim of study treatment pollutant water included (antibiotic and heavy metals) by using two ways zinc nanoparticles with alcoholic apricot extract and apricot powder by continuous technique.

Determining the most important compounds of apricot plant extract
Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-Mass) technology, which is pure, quicker, and cheaper than conventional extraction methods, was used to identify the activated compounds in the alcoholic apricot plant extract. GC-MS is a technique for analyzing a qualitative and quantitative group of compounds 14,15 . Substances found in the apricot extract by GC-Mass are shown in Fig. 1 and Table 1.

Results and Discussion:
This section describes the results of treating water that has been contaminated with antibiotic pollutants and inorganic elements including Cd, Sb, Fe, Cr, and Cu either using apricot plants or with zinc nanoparticles and evaluates the effectiveness of the treatment. The water treatment technique that was used was the result of processing research. Contrasting the standards for standard water adopted by the WHO and treated water.

Ultraviolet Visible (UV-Vis)
The main part of identifying active compounds in apricot plants is determining the absorptions caused by the visible spectrum to the colors of the apricot plant, which has been screened as an alcoholic extract and ZnNP with apricot extract. The absorbing peaks in the first one are at 307 and 676 nm, and in ZnNP, at 292 nm. These peaks refer to n → π* and π → π* in the UV, and 676 nm refers to an apricot plant with organic and inorganic compounds. When comparing between two samples, the alcoholic extract peak shifted towards a shorter, longer wavelength 10 nm red shift, and another peak in the visible area refers to ZnNP 17,18 , as shown in Fig 2.

2.Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR)
The infrared Fourier transform is a key method. When comparing alcoholic extract with an apricot plant and alcoholic extract with a nanocomposite, the method for defining organic components in alcoholic extract refers to the creation of nanoparticles. It is employed to identify active chemicals and test whether they can be joined with another element to create new complexes. A peak may be seen at 3371 cm -1 , and at 3417 cm -1 zinc nanoparticles can be seen. The (O-H) group has altered two compounds at around 46cm -1 in these peaks, which are then followed by further peaks on 2929 cm -1 in the extract and 2926cm -1 refer to ZnNPs. These peaks correspond to the (CH) aliphatic group (1612 cm -1 ), the carbonyl group (1552 cm -1 ), the (CH) group (1037 cm -1 in the apricot alcohol extract), and the (CH) group (1116 cm -1 in the nanoparticle) 19

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
The scanning electron microscope for zinc nanoparticles reveals a spherical crystal shape in average particles (122.8 nm), indicating that its granule size includes a range of nano, and this result is significant . 21 Other nanoparticles can be found at 55.96, 63.93, 60.66, 85.32, 97.20, 100.1, and 122.8 nm, which correspond to the hydrocarbon group range of nano except for hydrogen due to its small size 22 as shown in Fig. 5.

X-Ray diffraction spectroscopy
It is a technique used to identify the arrangement of the crystal atoms, where the X-ray hits the crystal to show certain directions according to the angles and strengths of reflected rays, and where 3D images are formed for the electron density inside the crystal. To measure the diffraction of X-rays, the nano-crystals are inserted on the angle meter and transformed while targeting the X-rays on it, which results in random diffraction called measurements. All directions are taken as images in 2D dimensions in order to be transformed into 3D images representing the electronic density inside the crystal. The X-ray diffraction study used for identifying the crystal molecular weight is the result of X-ray testing, where the three readings between 30 and 40 were due to the presence of zinc elements in more readings due to the size of nanomolecules with zinc elements, while the remaining values show the presence of hydrocarbon compounds except for hydrogen, which does not appear due to its small size 23

Energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy
EDX is a type of X-ray emission used to identify the chemical properties of the samples, which offers information about the location of atomic distribution on the surface and the chemical compounds of the samples; on another note, each element has an atomic structure and determined values in x-ray spectroscopy. When examining a nanoparticle, three peaks (1, 8.6, and 9.8) keV was determined, and they had a crystalline spherical structure 24 . Show Fig7.

Figure 7. Transmission Electron Microscope of zinc nanoparticles (TEM) 4. Treatment of organic compounds
The polluted water was identified using a specific ratio of Tetra 100%-Levo 100%, and 2g for each sample. After that, a continuous technique of treatment was used. Ten milliliters of polluted water were added, two grams of apricot powder, and the same method with zinc nanoparticles. After that, the shaking and mixing process was completed by placing the ingredients onto a magnetic stirrer. After the end flow rate, a portion of the sample was pulled out, and the treatment percentage was calculated. The following apricot powder percentages are 100%. Comparatively, the components were found. Because found some free active plant groups as in GC -Mass in plants comparison with zinc as there are some copulative which involving nano zinc or a layer of nanoparticles of zinc there for it reduce their activity as in the following result 27, 28. The results are shown in tables 2, 3, 4, 5, 6and scheme 1,2,3,4 respectively.

Conclusion:
By utilising zinc nanoparticles, which were in turn manufactured using ZnSO4 as a starting material and whose creation was proven by the following methodology; we were able to successfully treat water in this study using ecologically acceptable techniques: FT-IR SEM, TEM, EDX, and UV-Visible. Then, using a continuous process of flowing polluted water with apricot powder and zinc nanoparticles extracted from an apricot plant, it was discovered that apricot powder with zinc nanoparticles was preferred to apricot powder.