*2.10. Mycoynthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs)*

The green synthesis method was used to prepare ZnO NPs using the following fungi: *T. harzianum, T. reesei, T. reesei* and a co-culture of *Trichoderma* spp. The zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO3)2·6H2O) was utilized within the test without any further purification, which was procured from Sigma-Aldrich analytical grade. The Zn(NO3)2·6H2O taken in 1 g were dissolved in 10 mL of double-distilled water to the above mixture of 2 mL of fungal extract *T. harzianum, T. reesei, T. reesei* and co-culture of *Trichoderma* spp. was added and stirred for ~5−10 min using a magnetic stirrer. The mixture obtained was kept in a preheated muffle furnace, which was maintained at 400 ± 10 ◦C at which temperature the reaction mixture boils, froths, and heat-forming foam dehydrates in less than 3 min. The product obtained was calcinated at 700 ◦C for 2 h, and the obtained final product was used for further studies [30,45].
