Calcination-to-reflux synthesis of nitrogren-doped carbon-based nanoparticles from calamansi peel waste: basis for photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange/ Kim Z. Amedo, Vienna Cassandra I. Lelis, and Monette M. Vallecera .--

Thesis (undergraduate)

College of Science .-- Bachelor of Applied Science in Laboratory Technology: Technological University of the Philippines, 2024.

Includes bibliography

The synthesis of carbon-based nanoparticles (C-BNPs) from organic waste has recently garnered
considerable attention in the field of nanomaterials, attributed to their versatile electrical and chemical
properties with a wide range of applications. Calamansi peel waste as a precursor was utilized to
produce C-BNPs, which were subsequently calcined and refluxed with nitrogen dopant
from urea. The synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon-based nanoparticles (NC-BNPs)
underwent different analytical characterizations to evaluate their properties and
characteristics. The results obtained from UV-vis show that NC-BNPs have enhanced
optical properties compared to C-BNPs. It was supported by the results obtained from the
spectrofluorophotometer, wherein NC-BNPs illustrate a broader peak and increased
intensity. As for the confirmation of successful doping of nitrogen into the C-BNPs matrix,

it was verified using FTIR, wherein a rabbit-like peak found at between 3394 and 3253 cm-
1

for a primary amide indicated that there was a presence of nitrogen. Moreover, the
morphology and particle size distribution of the NC-BNPs were analyzed using TEM and
ImageJ version 1 software. It was concluded that the synthesized NC-BNPs have
heterogeneous features. The nanoparticles were of spherical, rod-like, and elongated form
with aggregation and had an approximate mean size of 16.355 nm with a standard deviation
of 4.804, which indicated that there was a wider range size distribution of an integration of
small and large particles compared to the average size. In terms of photocatalytic
degradation, it showed potential application with a degradation rate of 44.44%; however,
further optimization is advised to achieve optimum efficiency.