Regeneration and reconstruction of metal-organic frameworks: Opportunities for industrial usage

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are among the most efficient adsorbents for gas separation. • After saturation, MOFs have to be regenerated with procedures compatible with their stability. • The review is organized the various thermal and alternative regeneration procedures. • Reported lattice reconstruction methods are also described. • Current technology gaps have been identified. Over the past two decades, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with special and designable structures, adjustable cavity size, and high surface area have attracted special attention for their applications as adsorbents, catalysts and photocatalysts, among other uses. However, due to production costs and performance, large scale and industrial usage of such materials is still limited. Particularly for the use of MOFs as adsorbents, it is essential to examine appropriate regeneration methods in order to be reusable. In other applications, particularly in catalysis, reconstruction of MOFs is necessary in order to regain the initial activity of fresh materials and facilitate their application at industrial scale. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the regeneration procedures and reconstruction techniques for MOF adsorbents based on the existing data. This discussion is further extended to describe the impact of temperature, pressure, and moisture on the interaction between adsorbent/adsorbate molecules, and the stability and capacity of sorbents after regeneration. This review will help readers to gain insights into the desorption process in MOF as adsorbents under different regeneration conditions.