Adsorptive removal of bisphenol A from aqueous solution using metal-organic frameworks

Abstract

Adsorptive removal of bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous solution has been studied over two highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MIL-101(Cr) and MIL-100(Fe)) in view of the adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, effect of initial pH and effect of ionic strength. The adsorption kinetics fit pseudo-second-order kinetic model well and the adsorption isotherms follow the Langmuir model. The adsorption kinetics and capacity of BPA over MIL-101(Cr) generally depend on the average pore size and specific surface area (or pore volume), respectively. The adsorption mechanism may be explained with π–π interaction and hydrogen bonding between BPA and MIL-101(Cr). Finally, it can be suggested that metal-organic frameworks possessing high porosity and large pore size can be used as potential adsorbents to remove harmful endocrine disrupting chemicals in contaminated water.

Keywords:

• Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
• Metal-organic framework (MOF)
• Bisphenol A(BPA)
• Adsorption
• Kinetics

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41003040) and the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin, P.R. China (No. 10JCYBJJC06000).