From MOF-199 Microrods to CuO Nanoparticles for Room-Temperature Desulfurization: Regeneration and Repurposing Spent Adsorbents as Sustainable Approaches

Fabrication of Na0.4MnO2 Microrods for Room-Temperature Oxidation of Sulfurous Gases

Phase pure Na_0.4MnO₂ microrods crystallized in the orthorhombic symmetry were fabricated for the wet oxidation of H₂S and SO₂ gases at room temperature. The material was found highly effective for the mineralization of low concentrations of acidic gases. The material was fully regenerable after soaking in a basic H₂O₂ solution.

Probing the origin and stability of bivalency in copper based porous coordination network and its application for H2S gas capture

A bivalent Cu(I,II) metal–organic framework (MOF) based on the 4,4′,4″-s-Triazine-2,4,6-triyl-tribenzoate linker was synthesized via a solvothermal method. The MOF possessed 43.8% of the Cu sites as Cu⁺ with a surface area of 1257 m² g⁻¹. The detailed spectroscopic analysis confirmed dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent as the reductant responsible for Cu⁺ sites in the synthesized MOF. The Cu⁺ sites were easily accessible and prone to oxidation in hot water or acidic gas environment. The MOF showed water-induced structural change, which could be partially recovered after soaking in DMF solvent. The synthesized MOF showed a high hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) uptake capacity of 4.3 mmol g^–1 at 298 K and an extremely low H₂S pressure of 0.0005 bar. The adsorption capacity was the highest among Cu-based MOFs with PCN-6-M being regenerable, which made it useful for deep desulfurization applications. The adsorbed H₂S was mineralized to sulfide, sulfur, and sulfates, mediated by the Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ redox cycle in the presence of adsorbed water and molecular oxygen. Thus, the study confirmed that DMF as a reductant is responsible for the origin of bivalency in PCN-6-M and possibly in other Cu-based MOFs reported in the literature. Also, the developed MOF could be a potential candidate for flue gas desulfurization and gas purification applications.

Mechanistic and Experimental Study of the CuxO@C Nanocomposite Derived from Cu3(BTC)2 for SO2 Removal

A tunable and efficient strategy was adopted to synthesize highly porous nano-structured CuO−carbonized composites (CuxO@C) using Cu3(BTC)2 as a sacrificial template. The as-synthesized CuO nanocomposites exhibited hollow octahedral structures, a large surface area (89.837 m2 g−1) and a high proportion of Cu2O active sites distributed on a carbon frame. Based on DFT calculations, both the Cu atoms on the surface (CuS) and oxygen vacancy (OV) exhibited strong chemical reactivity. On the perfect CuO (111), the CuS transferred charge to O atoms on the surface and SO2 molecules. A strong adsorption energy (−1.41 eV) indicated the existence of the chemisorption process. On the oxygen-deficient CuO (111), the O2 preferably adsorbed on OV and then formed SO3 by bonding with SO2, followed by the cleavage of the O−O bond. Furthermore, the CuO nanocomposites exhibited an excellent ratio of S/Cu in SO2 removal experiments compared with CuO nanoparticles produced by coprecipitation.

Role of Bimetallic Solutions in the Growth and Functionality of Cu-BTC Metal-Organic Framework

Bimetallic solutions play a vital role in the growth and functionality of copper trimesate (Cu-BTC) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The effect of Ag⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Zn²⁺ on the growth of Cu-BTC was studied by fabricating M-Cu-BTC MOFs at room temperature using bimetallic M-Cu solutions. While Ag⁺ in the MOF had a rod-like morphology and surface properties, divalent cations deteriorated it. Moreover, unconventional Cu⁺ presence in the MOF formed a new building unit, which was confirmed in all the MOFs. Apart from Ag and Mn, no other MOF showed any presence of secondary cations in the structure. While Ag-Cu-BTC showed an improved H₂S uptake capacity, other M-Cu-BTC MOFs had superior organic pollutant adsorption behavior. Thus, we have demonstrated that the physicochemical properties of Cu-BTC could be modified by growing it in bimetallic solutions.

Metal-organic framework-derived NaMxOy adsorbents for low-temperature SO2 removal

This work reported the fabrication of NaM_xO_y-type adsorbents from air calcination of (Na, M)-trimesate metal-organic frameworks. NaMn_xO_y (NMO) crystallized as disc-shaped microsheets, whereas NaCo_xO_y (NCO) crystallized as smooth microsheets with surface deposition of polyhedral nanoparticles. The oxides have a surface area of 1.90-2.56 m² g^-1. The synthesized adsorbents were studied for low-temperature SO₂ removal in breakthrough studies. The maximum adsorption capacity of 46.8 mg g^-1 was recorded for NMO at 70 °C. The adsorption capacity increased with the increasing temperature due to the chemisorptive nature of the adsorption process. The capacity increased with the increasing bed loading and decreasing flow rate due to the improved SO₂ retention time. The elemental mapping confirmed the uniform distribution of sulfur species over the oxide surface. X-ray diffraction showed the absence of metal sulfate nanoparticles in the SO₂-exposed samples. The X-ray photoelectron analysis confirmed the formation of surface sulfate and bisulfate. The formation of oxidized sulfur species was mediated by hydroxyl groups over NMO and lattice oxygen over NCO. Thus, the work demonstrated here is the first such report on the use of NaM_xO_y-type materials for SO₂ mineralization.

Enhanced water-resistant performance of Cu-BTC through polyvinylpyrrolidone protection and its capture ability evaluation of methylene blue

Water instability issues greatly restrict the application of Cu-BTC for cationic dye (e.g. methylene blue (MB)) capture from wastewater.