Metal-organic frameworks for removal of heavy metals

Organic contaminants, including heavy metals in water, have garnered huge attention in the last decade due to their adverse consequences for aquatic life and humans. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derived novel composites are considered green materials that possess superior stability characteristics for the removal and elimination of metal species. Many dominated mechanisms of adsorption were suggested, including electrostatic interactions, strong coordination between ligand-binding sites of MOF and metal/radionuclide, SC-SC conversion or anion exchange, and combination of adsorption-reduction processes. Pseudo-second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models were well-fitted by adsorption processes. This chapter presentsareview of existing work related to the usage of environment-friendly water-soluble MOFs and their composites for the removal of heavy metals and radionuclides from aqueous medium. Different kinds of radionuclides and heavy metals of concern are used for capturing water-soluble MOFs. The good stability, unique selectivity, and reusability of MOFs indicate their emerging remediation potential for water and wastewater having radionuclides and heavy metal ions.