Treatment of pesticides (chlorpyrifos and tebuconazole) and Congo red dye by the application of green synthesized palladium nanoparticles using hemicellulose obtained from Lallemantia royleana seed

Pesticides and dyes are significant water contaminants threatening environmental quality and compromising human health. Metal nanoparticles have appeared to be efficient in treatment of various pollutants from water. The present work reports the use of green synthesized palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) for removal of Congo red (CR) dye and two pesticides: chlorpyrifos (CP) and tebuconazole (TB). A highly facile and environmentally friendly synthesis of Pd NPs was achieved using hemicellulose (arabinoglucan) from Lallemantia royleana seeds (Tukh Malanga) at mild conditions without the addition of any reducing or stabilizing agent. Different synthetic approaches were used, viz. room temperature, heating, microwave and ultrasonication. The NPs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and zeta potential measurements. NPs size varied between 15 and 61 nm having dominant hexagonal structure. Zeta potential values varied between − 5 and − 18.7 mV. The synthesized NPs exhibited excellent catalytic activity for degradation of CP, TB and CR with high adsorption capacities for CP (9245–14,633 mg g−1), TB (15,882–16,745 mg g−1) and CR (10,265–10,400 mg g−1). The results demonstrate simple synthesis of biogenic Pd NPs employing naturally occurring substances and their potential role in eco-friendly treatment of hazardous pollutants like pesticides and dyes.