Recent Advances in MOF-Based Materials for Remediation of Heavy Metals and Organic Pollutants: Insights into Performance, Mechanisms, and Future Opportunities

Abstract

In recent years, heavy metals and organic pollutants have become two major obstacles to maintaining the ecological environment. Thus, choosing efficient and environmentally friendly methods and materials to remediate heavy metals and organic pollution has become a hot research topic. Porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and their composites or derivatives can be used as ideal adsorbents and catalytic materials because of their unique structures and functions. This work reviews the research progress on MOF-based materials in the remediation of the water environment in the past decade. The MOF-based materials discussed here mainly include MOF composites obtained by fabrication and MOF derivatives obtained by pyrolysis. Both MOF composites and MOF derivatives are optimized materials that exhibit adsorption or catalytic performance superior to the pristine MOFs. Additionally, the interactions and mechanisms between the MOF-based materials and different heavy metals or organic pollutants are discussed in detail. Finally, some problems or defects of the MOF-based materials are also proposed considering the materials’ economic efficiency, stability and safety. There is still a long way forward for the real application of MOF-based materials. Further efforts are also needed to explore and expand the environmental remediation scope of MOF-based materials.

Metal–Organic Frameworks Marry Sponge: New Opportunities for Advanced Water Treatment

“…The excessive use of heavy metals in modern industrial production, particularly in the power and electronics industries, has generated significant amounts of electronic wastewater (E-waste). − Estimates suggest that the heavy metal substances recoverable from E-waste can amount to thousands of tons, surpassing the quantities available from primary mineral resources . Furthermore, the escalating use of precious metals and the scarcity of primary resources have underscored the importance of recovering heavy metals from secondary sources.…”

“…Mercury (Hg) contamination of water is a major environmental problem. The high toxicity, potential accumulation, and nonbiodegradability of Hg in the environment are potentially hazardous to all living organisms. , …”

Fabrication of samarium doped MOF-808 as an efficient photocatalyst for the removal of the drug cefaclor from water

“…This could be resolved by reduction of particle dimensions making it suitable for catalytic reactions. 59,60 The absorbance of MOF-808(Ce) was less than doped Sm/ MOF-808(Ce) as HOMO-LUMO gap of pristine MOF-808(Ce) (1.81 eV) is large. MOFs photocatalyst possess the metallic chains that help in capturing visible photons and generate electron-holes in the process.…”

Pyridine-induced caused structural reconfiguration forming ultrathin 2D metal–organic frameworks for the oxygen evolution reaction

“…9 Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a kind of multiaperture crystalline materials with a periodic reticulation structure constituted by the coordination of metal ions or metal clusters and organic ligands. 10,11 Over the past two decades, MOFs have been extensively studied due to their structural variety and tunability, and more than 20 000 MOFs are reported to be known. 12,13 However, in terms of catalysis, MOFs usually do not have good electrical conductivity and stability.…”