Adsorption of N,N-dimethylamine from aqueous solutions by a metal organic framework, MOF – 235

Abstract

Water-resistant MOF-235 was used to adsorb N,N-dimethylamine (DMA) from aqueous solutions. It was synthesized from terephthalic acid and FeCl₃.6H₂O under air-free conditions and characterized by its crystalline structure, functional groups and temperature resistance. The kinetic data results were best adjusted to the pseudo-second order model (R²>0.963). The best-fit isotherm, Langmuir model, suggested the adsorption of DMA is localized on homogenously distributed active sites on the surface. This fit was confirmed by the value of β = 1 on the Redlich-Peterson model. Our study suggests that the manipulation of novel materials such as MOF-235 promises new avenues for water treatment solutions.

Schematic structure of MOF-235 and its application as adsorbent.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• MOF-235
• adsorption
• dimethylamine
• MOF
• water treatment

Acknowledgements

The authors greatly thank Prof. Antonio Nieto-Márquez from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería y Diseño Industrial, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain for support on analytical measurements (TGA), Prof. Jim Kaduk from the IMSERC, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA for the XRD experiments and Cassidy Bernstein from University of Texas, Austin, USA for help in editing and correction.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) under Grant DGI-2013-0016 and by the Peruvian Council of Science (CONCYTEC) under Grant 401-2012-CONCYTEC-OAJ.