Removal of environmental contaminants of emerging concern using metal-organic framework composite

This study investigated adsorption characteristics of pharmaceutical pollutants using CuBTC@NH2 composite. The post synthetic modification of CuBTC@NH2 substantially improved the physicochemical characteristics of the MOF, which led to difference in the adsorption behavior of the pharmaceutical pollutants such as ibuprofen (IBF) and acetaminophen (ACE) from aqueous solutions. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET measurements were used to characterize the CuBTC@NH2 composite. The adsorption processes were evaluated in batch experiments, in order to monitor the pharmaceutical pollutants adsorption capacity by the CuBTC@NH2 composite. The adsorption process follows Langmuir isotherm model and kinetic model well fitted to pseudo-second order kinetic. It is clear that chemisorption played a major role in the CuBTC@NH2 composites elimination of pharmaceutical contaminants. The adsorption of the pharmaceutical pollutants strongly dependent on the pH of the solution due to the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Ibuprofen (IBF) and acetaminophen (ACE) had overall adsorption capacities of 187.97 mg/g and 125.45 mg/g, respectively. Ultimately, the results obtained demonstrated the potential of the CuMOF@NH2 composite to remove pharmaceutical pollutants from toxic waste water. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.