Protein Encapsulated Covellite CuS Nanospheres for the Efficient Oxidative Degradation of Organic Dyes in Wastewater

The existence of toxic, non-biodegradable organic pollutants in wastewater has become an indisputable and global remark for environmental problem. Interesting works have been performed on engineering/designing novel nano-catalyst to replace well-known Fe-fenton system in the degradation of such pollutants where the residual iron limits their wide application. Alternatively, Cu based materials have been explored in waste-water management mainly due to their ease of availability, cost-effectiveness, and efficient oxidative catalytic activity. However, synthesis of such pure phase water-soluble monodispersed Cu-based nanoparticles is challenging. In this study, we reported the synthesis of monodispersed covellite bovine serum albumin functionalized - copper sulfide (BSA-CuS) nanoparticles by simple thermal decomposition process. As-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized through advanced techniques such as UV-Visible spectra, XRD, FT-IR, HR-TEM and XPS. Finally, their potential for enhanced oxidative catalytic performance was investigated through experimental and theoretical studies for the degradation of wide range of dyes such as anionic dye, cationic dye, and industry effluent, which are commonly present in wastewater as contaminant.