A novel approach to the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles: the use of agro-wastes, enzymes, and pigments

Abstract The green synthesis of nanoparticles has received great attention in recent times owing to its advantages such as cost effectiveness, simplicity, eco-friendliness, biocompatibility, and wide applications over the conventional chemical and physical methods. Various kinds of biomolecules from microorganisms and plants have been successfully utilized for the synthesis of metallic and nonmetallic nanoparticles, and these have been well documented. However, the recent increase in the fabrication of metallic nanoparticles using agro-wastes, enzymes and microbial and plant-derived pigments and their respective areas of applications have not been compiled as a review article. Therefore, the present efforts have been aimed at compilation of reports on the use of these novel bio-resources for the green synthesis of nanoparticles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review article on the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles using diverse agro-wastes, enzymes, and pigments of biological origin. It is envisaged that the compendium will bring to the fore the emerging importance of these bio-resources for nanobiotechnological applications.