In-situ immobilization of ZIF-67/ZIF-8 on wood biomass for degradation of methylene blue and formaldehyde

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively studied for the removal of pollutants in wastewater and air. However, the existence of MOF materials in powder form with easy agglomeration and difficult separation has greatly confined their application potential. To address this challenge, ZIF-67/ZIF-8 composites were in-situ grown on wood biomass, with its porous structure providing channels for the growth of MOFs and active sites for MOFs catalysis. The structure, i.e., morphology, crystallinity and chemical components, and optical properties were characterized. The degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) by the ZIF-67/ZIF-8@wood composites photocatalyst was more than 85.7 % under visible light irradiation within 90 mins, reflecting the good photocatalytic activity of the composites. The ZIF-67/ZIF-8@wood composites completely adsorbed and decomposed HCHO (22.3 ppm) within 30 mins. The high catalytic performance of the ZIF-67/ZIF-8@wood composites can be attributed to the high surface area of wood that results in a high absorption of contaminants. This simple, low-cost, and green preparation method has promoted the sustainable utilization of biomass resources with great significance for practical environmental remediation.