Metal organic framework for sustainable removal of heavy metals contamination from wastewater: a review

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination is caused due to several natural and anthropogenic activities. Heavy metals in the water and soil are responsible for various toxic effects on human health, including liver damage, kidney failure and cancer etc. There are several methods available for the synthesis of metal organic framework adsorbent, such as hydrothermal and solvothermal methods, microwave-assisted and mechanochemical and some green routes based on integrating with biological waste materials. The heavy metal removal efficiency of metal organic frameworks can be enhanced by the functionalization of the adsorbent. Functionalization increases the surface binding sites for the heavy metal ions. Several functionalization methods, such as amino functionalization, thiol grafting and biopolymer composite, etc, are applied. The adsorption kinetics, isotherm and thermodynamic modeling play an important role in describing the mechanism of heavy metal removal. This review provides a comprehensive integration of metal–organic framework (MOF) synthesis strategies, functionalization approaches, and adsorption modeling, offering a consolidated framework for advancing sustainable technologies in heavy metal remediation. It specifically focuses on MOF synthesis methods, their applications in heavy metal removal, and the mathematical models used to describe the adsorption of heavy metal ions.