Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for water treatment

Water contamination is a major concern, attracting amongst the scientific community. Rapid population and industrial growth drive the demand for clean water. However, anthropogenic activity results in the pollution of water and limits the accessibility of water resources. The common pollutants are heavy metal ions, organic molecules like dyes, solvents, drugs, hydrocarbons, pesticides, biological effluents, and so forth. These hazardous materials must be eliminated. The sustainable treatment and reuse of water are essential. MOFs possesses a tunable porous structure, increased surface area, flexible skeleton, and have thus found a use in water decontamination. MOFs and MOF-based hybrid material as adsorbents, MOF-based membranes, MOFs as templates, and so forth, are candidates for water treatment. This chapter comprises of an explanation of the chemical structure of MOFs and of the different types of MOF. Water decontamination is explained, through the use of MOF-based aerogels, MOF-derived carbon, hydrophobic MOFs, and magnetic framework composites.