This study deals with producing selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) by an economical and reliable process using a mining waste that contains significant amounts of selenium (6.11%), silver (4.12%), lead (4.69%), copper (3.61%), antimony (4.97%) and barium sulfate (70.01%). For separation of valuable metals and obtaining a pure solution for Se synthesis, several steps need to be taken; (a) Barium sulfate removal by gravity separation; (b) Leaching of the concentrate by HNO₃ (3M); (c) Precipitation of silver and lead as insoluble chloride salts and (d) removing of other impurities such as arsenic, tellurium and strontium. The solution of purified selenium stock was then utilized as a precursor for the green synthesis of SeNPs using fruit extracts via an eco-friendly approach. The different fruit extracts such as plum, grape, orange, pomegranate, tomatoes, and lime were examined, and orange extract was found to be an efficient, reducing agent as well as a stabilizer for green synthesis of SeNPs. The biosynthesized SeNPs were characterized by various techniques such as SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR and EDX. The spherical morphology of SeNPs was confirmed by SEM and TEM analysis, and particle size of SeNPs was found between 70 and 80 nm on the basis of the Debye–Scherrer equation.

Graphic Abstract

中文翻译：

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从采矿废料生物合成硒纳米颗粒的绿色方法

这项研究涉及一种经济，可靠的过程，利用采矿废料生产硒纳米粒子（SeNPs），该废料中含有大量的硒（6.11％），银（4.12％），铅（4.69％），铜（3.61％），锑（4.97％）和硫酸钡（70.01％）。为了分离有价值的金属并获得纯的Se合成溶液，需要采取几个步骤。（a）通过重力分离除去硫酸钡；（b）HNO ₃浸出精矿（3M）；（c）将银和铅沉淀为不溶性氯化物盐，并且（d）除去其他杂质，例如砷，碲和锶。然后将纯化的硒原液用作通过生态友好方法使用水果提取物进行绿色合成SeNPs的前体。检查了不同的水果提取物，例如李子，葡萄，橙子，石榴，西红柿和酸橙，发现橙子提取物是有效的还原剂，也是绿色合成SeNPs的稳定剂。通过诸如SEM，TEM，XRD，FTIR和EDX的各种技术对生物合成的SeNPs进行了表征。通过SEM和TEM分析证实了SeNPs的球形形态，根据Debye-Scherrer方程发现了SeNPs的粒径在70至80 nm之间。

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