Bioinspired synthesis of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles uing Rosa Rugosa flower extract and their application as a potent alternative disinfecting agent against waterborne pathogens within wastewater management

Background: The serious health dangers associated with waterborne microorganisms have prompted research into substitute disinfectants. Methods: In this work, the ferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃ NPs) were produced in an green appraoch using Rosa rugosa cv. Plena (RP) extract and evaluated its antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against some pathogens. The synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs were characterized via several techniques, namely UV–Vis, XRD, TEM, average particle size, zeta potential and SEM-EDX. Furthermore, the effectiveness of phyto-synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs as a possible disinfectant against common aquatic infections was examined. Significant findings: The data illustrated the preparation of Fe₂O₃ NPs with small size (67.77 nm). The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs against the target pathogens were measured, which showed encouraging inhibitory effects, especially at 2xMIC doses. The bacterial species of E.coli was more susceptible to Fe₂O₃ NPs with MIC 62.5 ± 8.3 μg/mL, while for Listeria monocytogenes, MIC value was 250 ± 15.6 µg/mL. Time-kill kinetics revealed the complete inhibition of bacterial growth within 100 min at 2 × MIC concentrations, while biofilm removal tests showed >90% inhibition at concentrations of 750–1000 µg/mL. Additionally, the Fe₂O₃ NPs eradicated harmful bacteria in wastewater samples with a 6-log reduction in cell viability. These findings emphasize the potential of phyto-synthesized Fe₂O₃ NPs as a sustainable and effective disinfectant for wastewater treatment.