Lijin Huang, Rujia Shen, Qin Shuai,

Adsorptive removal of pharmaceuticals from water using metal-organic frameworks: A

review,
Journal of Environmental Management,
Volume 277,
2021,
111389,
ISSN 0301-4797,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111389.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479720313141)
Abstract: Pharmaceutical pollution has emerged as a highly concerned issue due to
its adverse effects. Elevated concentrations of pharmaceuticals in water should be
regulated to satisfy the requirement for the provision of clean water. Metal-
organic frameworks (MOFs) with high specific surface area, controllable porous
structure, and facile modification can serve as promising adsorbents for the
removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from water. In this review, a selected
collection illustrating the reliable strategies and concepts to prepare the MOFs-
based materials with superior water stability is described. In addition, recent
progress on the adsorptive removal of pharmaceutical pollutant using burgeoning and
functional MOFs is also summarized in terms of maximum capacity, equilibrium time,
and regenerate ability. Meanwhile, to understand the adsorption mechanism, related
interactions including coordination with unsaturated site, pore-filling effect,
hydrogen bonding, electrostatic, and π-π stacking are further discussed. Finally,
critical perspectives/assessment of future research emphasising on fabricating
desirable MOFs and establishing structure-property relationships to facilitate
capture performance are identified.
Keywords: MOFs; Pharmaceutical contaminants; Antibiotics; Adsorptive removal;
Wastewater treatment; Water stability