Tetracycline removal from aqueous solution using zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) with different pore size and topology: Adsorption isotherm, kinetic and mechanism studies

Removal of aqueous pharmaceuticals by magnetically functionalized Zr-MOFs: Adsorption Kinetics, Isotherms, and regeneration

The functionalization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is imperative and challenging for the development of practical MOF-based materials. Herein, a magnetically functionalized Zr-MOF (Fe₃O₄@MOF-525) was synthesized via secondary-growth approach to obtain an easily-separated and recyclable adsorbent for the removal of pharmaceuticals (tetracycline (TC) and diclofenac sodium (DF)). After loading Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs), due to the increase of micropore volume and specific surface area caused by defects, the adsorption performance of Fe₃O₄@MOF-525 was improved. The kinetics could be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The different adsorption capacity and initial rate were attributed to the properties of the pharmaceuticals, including the molecular size and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity. In isotherm experiments, the maximum adsorption capacities of DF and TC on Fe₃O₄@MOF-525 calculated by Sips model reached 745 and 277 mg·g^-1, respectively. The thermodynamic studies indicated the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous. The effect of pH suggested that electrostatic interaction, π-π interaction, anion-π interaction, and H-bonding were possibly involved in the adsorption process. The adsorbent was separated by magnetic and regenerated. Washed with ethanol, Fe₃O₄@MOF-525 remained about 80% adsorption capacity after four cycles. In-situ photo-regeneration under visible-light irradiation was another attractive method, where > 95% TC was degraded in 4 h. The reaction with scavengers revealed that ¹O₂ was the dominant reactive species in our system, indicating the occurrence of Type II photosensitization. The separability, excellent adsorption performance, and recyclability of Fe₃O₄@MOF-525 may lead to its beneficial applications in water treatment.

Facile Synthesis of MOFs-Templated Carbon Aerogels with Enhanced Tetracycline Adsorption Performance

Three-dimensional aerogels have great potential for antibiotic removal from aqueous solution due to their excellent solution mass transfer channels and special morphology. Herein, the metal ions were bound with alginate to form alginate-Fe, alginate-Cu, and alginate-Fe-Cu hydrogels, then they were used as nucleation sites for metal organic framework (MOF) growth to obtain MAlgs gels, respectively. Considering the aqueous environmental stability of MOFs particles, the alginate and MOF particles in MAlgs aerogels were pyrolyzed as templates to obtain the derived carbon aerogel CMAlgs. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of MAlgs-Fe-Cu aerogel was higher than that of MAlg-Cu and MAlg-Fe aerogels, up to ~130 mg·g−1. The adsorption performance of carbon aerogel CMAlg-Cu decreased obviously because of the decrease of pore size and oxygen-containing functional groups. The adsorption process is a combination of physical adsorption and chemical adsorption. In addition, CMAlgs aerogels exhibit better recyclability than MAlgs aerogels. This work provides a new strategy for fabricating MOFs-templated in-situ grown carbon aerogels for water purification.

Quick removal of metronidazole from aqueous solutions using metal–organic frameworks

Two MOFs were assembled, characterized and investigated in detail as efficient adsorbents for removal of the metronidazole antibiotic. Adsorption isotherms and kinetic features were also studied.

Hydrogen bonding-mediated assembly of carbon dot@Zr-based metal organic framework as a multifunctional fluorescence sensor for chlortetracycline, pH and temperature detection

Carbon dots@UiO-66(COOH)2 with multifunctional fluorescence responsibilities for chlortetracycline, pH, and temperature detection is prepared via a hydrogen bond-driven solvent-free strategy.

The Effectiveness of MOFs for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Aquatic Environments: A Review Focused on Antibiotics Removal

There is an increasing level of various pollutants and their persistence in aquatic environments. The improper use of antibiotics and their inefficient metabolism in organisms result in their release into aquatic environments. Antibiotic abuse has led to hazardous effects on human health. Thereby, efficient removal of pharmaceuticals, particularly antibiotics, from wastewater and contaminated water bodies is greatly interested in international research communities. Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials, as a hybrid group of material containing metallic center and organic linkers, offer a porous structure that is highly efficient for removing different pollutants from contaminated water and wastewater streams. This article aims to review the recent advancement in using MOF-based adsorbents and catalysts for the removal of pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics, from polluted water. Applying MOFs-based structures for removing antibiotics using photocatalytic removal and adsorptive removal techniques will be discussed and evaluated in this review paper. Various MOF-based materials such as functionalized MOFs, MOF-based composites, magnetic MOF-based composites, MOFs templated-metal oxide catalysts for removing pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and antibiotics from contaminated aqueous media are discussed. Furthermore, effective operational parameters on the adsorption, adsorption mechanisms, adsorption isotherms, and thermodynamic parameters are explained and discussed. Finally, in the concluding remarks, the challenges and future outlooks of using MOFs-based adsorbents and catalysts for removing antibiotics are summarized.

Removal of organic pollutants from aqueous solution using metal organic frameworks (MOFs)-based adsorbents: A review

The development of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) has recently drawn a lot of scientific interest in water treatment due to the unique properties such as tunable porosities, large pore volumes, hierarchical structures, excellent adsorption and regeneration performances. MOFs represent an eco-friendly alternative to conventional adsorbents especially for the adsorptive removal of noxious organic pollutants from aqueous solution. Advanced MOFs' performances are justified by the introduction of functional groups, magnetic moieties, and specific foreign materials onto MOFs. This however leads to increase in the manufacturing costs of MOFs and consequently possess a huge challenge in large-scale applications. This review hence critically discusses the recent progresses in the development of MOFs-based adsorbents for the removal of selected organic pollutants (e.g., dyes, antibiotics and pesticides) from aqueous solution. Furthermore, major interaction mechanisms between MOFs and organic pollutants in response to numerous experimental conditions, such as pH, temperature, coexisting ions are put forward. Finally, some recommendations in support for designing MOFs with improved adsorption performances are also highlighted.

Reusable Ag@TiO2-Based Photocatalytic Nanocomposite Membranes for Solar Degradation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Two significant limitations of using TiO2 nanoparticles for water treatment applications are reduced photocatalytic activity under visible radiation and difficulty recovering the particles after use. In this study, round-shaped Ag@TiO2 nanocomposites with a ≈21 nm diameter and a bandgap energy of 2.8 eV were synthesised by a deposition-precipitation method. These nanocomposites were immobilised into a porous poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) matrix and well-distributed within the pores. The photocatalytic activity of Ag@TiO2/PVDF-HFP against metronidazole (MNZ) under solar radiation was evaluated. Further, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was applied to predict the effect of four independent variables, including initial pollutant concentration, pH, light irradiation intensity, and reaction time, on the photocatalytic performance of the composite membrane on MNZ degradation. The 10% Ag@TiO2/PVDF-HFP composite membrane showed a maximum removal efficiency of 100% after 5 h under solar radiation. After three use cycles, this efficiency remained practically constant, demonstrating the membranes' reusability and suitability for water remediation applications.

Enhanced Adsorption of Rhodamine B on Modified Oil-Based Drill Cutting Ash: Characterization, Adsorption Kinetics, and Adsorption Isotherm

In this paper, phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were employed for the modification of oil-based drill cutting ash (OBDCA) for the first time. The adsorption of rhodamine B (RhB) on modified oil-based drill cutting ash (MOBDCA) in an aqueous medium was investigated. H₂O₂-modified OBDCA had the optimal adsorption efficiency for RhB. The physical and chemical properties of MOBDCA were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ζ-potential, N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm, and pore size distribution. The effect of the pH value (3-11), reaction time (10-720 min), and initial RhB concentration (10-200 mg/L) on RhB adsorption was discussed. The adsorption kinetics highly fitted with the pseudo-second-order model (R ² > 0.99), which indicated that the adsorption process was dominated by chemisorption. The adsorption isotherm fitted well with the Langmuir and Freundlich models (R ² > 0.97), which indicated the monolayer adsorption process and the heterogeneous adsorption process, respectively. The theoretic adsorption capacity (50 mg/g) for RhB was achieved by H₂O₂-modified OBDCA. This paper provides a promising method of resource utilization of OBDCA to treat organic pollutants.

A series of novel carbohydrate-based carbon adsorbents were synthesized by self-propagating combustion for tetracycline removal

Herein, a series of novel adsorbents derived from glucose, maltose, and starch zinc oxide (ZnO) loaded carbohydrate-based carbon materials (Zn-Cs) were synthesized by a fast and efficient self-propagating combustion synthesis method (SCS). The experimental results show that Zn-Cs exhibits excellent adsorption performance (>375 mg/g) to tetracycline, and the pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich model can better describe the adsorption data. The adsorption capacities of Zn-Cs were over 300 mg/g throughout the wide pH range (6-9), while various coexisting ions in the concentration range of 0-10 mg/L and the presence of humic acid had nearly no impact on the adsorption of tetracycline. Moreover, the adsorption experiment of simulated hospital wastewater shows that the adsorption capacity of Zn-Cs for tetracycline exceeds 185 mg/g. The adsorption mechanism of tetracycline are H-bond, complexation, and conjugation effect. This work provides an efficient, excellent versatility and time-saving strategy for preparing high-performance carbohydrate-based carbon materials for adsorbents.