Bio-waste valorization to formulate an eco-friendly reduced graphene oxide based bio-gel for clinical applications

Agricultural waste, which negatively impacts human health and the environment, can be used as a beneficial precursor for the synthesis of graphene oxide. In the current study, Green technology carbonaceous material derived from Agrowaste can be potentially converted into value-added reduced graphene oxide for effective application of Wound dressing. Setaria italica bio-waste was through improved Hummers method graphene oxide was synthesized. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was formed by reducing the synthesized graphene oxide with a phytoextract of Prosopis juliflora. UV–visible spectroscopy was used to characterize the synthesized materials, with the maximal absorbance range for graphene oxide being 232 nm and 262 nm for reduced graphene oxide, showing good reduction using the phytoextract. The XRD revealed 2θ peaks for graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide at 15.21° and 22.96°, respectively showing the amorphous nature due to large and strong peaks. Peaks in the 3500 cm−1, 2920 cm−1, 1620 cm−1, and 1053 cm−1 FTIR range exhibited the functional groups –OH stretching, symmetric and antisymmetric –CH2 stretching, C=C stretching, and C–O stretching. The intensities of the oxygen-carrying functional groups have been found to be reduced in reduced graphene oxide as a result of the reduction process. Curled single-layer sheets for graphene oxide and wrinkled aggregated structures for reduced graphene oxide are shown by morphological investigation. Anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and biocompatibility tests yielded positive findings, with less hemolysis of 0.2% and anti-coagulation capabilities up to the fifteenth minute, proved with a statistical approach. Based on the results obtained, the formulated bio-gel has good biocompatibility, non-toxic, and efficient at even low concentrations. Our study is unique because an rGO bio-gel with improved therapeutic characteristics can be proposed as a feasible formulation for future as a wound dressing Supportive material. Graphical abstract