Removal of Humic Acid by UiO-66(Zr) and MIL-100(Fe) Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) Adsorption

Abstract

The escalating presence of humic acid (HA) in aquatic systems poses significant ecological and potable water treatment challenges, altering the color, taste, and odor of water and fueling algal blooms that deplete oxygen levels to the detriment of aquatic life. Traditional techniques like coagulation-flocculation, membrane filtration, oxidation fall short in efficiency due to its small fraction of HA. This study confronts the pervasive issue of HA contamination by leveraging the advanced properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In this work, two representative MOFs are synthesized and well characterized. Then, their capability for removal HA by adsorption process in water for HA treatment are detailed evaluated. The findings from this research extend beyond academic curiosity, offering actionable insights for water treatment facilities and environmental management agencies. The synthesis of MOFs which are UiO-66(Zr), MIL-100(Fe). Each MOFs have been applied to remove HA by adsorption under different condition. The effect of contacting time, initial pH, adsorbent dosage has been evaluated. After adsorption experiment, MOF samples prepared to dry and went through characterization. Removal of HA by MOF adsorption showed UiO-66(Zr) and MIL-100(Fe) examined rapid reaching equilibrium state with 10-15 min. Among various pH conditions, UiO-66(Zr) and MIL-100(Fe) showed the highest adsorption capacity under acidic conditions. MIL-100(Fe) achieves a higher maximum adsorption capacity than MIL-100(Fe). MOF after adsorption samples went through characterizations and their remained characteristics indicating the adsorption not affected the structure of the MOFs.