Sustainable PH3 Purification over MOF-Derived Ce-Doped CuO Materials: Enhanced Performance and Closed-Loop Resource Recovery

To address the limitations of low CuO loading and poor dispersion in conventional supported adsorbents, in this study, MOF (metal–organic framework)-derived CuO with Ce doping (CuxCeyO) was synthesized and used for the adsorption–oxidation of PH3 under low-temperature and low-oxygen conditions. The results demonstrated that Ce doping increased the PH3 capacity of the adsorbent from 75.54 mg·g−1 (MOF-derived CuO) to 226.87 mg·g−1 (Cu1Ce0.2O). The characterization results indicated that Ce doping significantly altered the physicochemical properties of CuO. Specifically, Cu1Ce0.2O exhibited optimal CuO dispersion, the highest adsorbed oxygen concentration, superior redox performance, an increased number of basic sites, and a larger specific surface area and pore volume, all contributing to its improved performance. Analysis of the exhausted adsorbent revealed the formation of Cu3P and phosphoric acid. And the deactivation of the adsorbent can be attributed to the consumption of CuO and the blockage of pore structure. Surprisingly, the exhausted adsorbent demonstrated considerable photocatalytic performance due to the formation of Cu3P, enabling the resource utilization of the waste adsorbent, making it a promising material for the adsorption–oxidation of PH3. This waste-to-resource conversion reduces hazardous solid waste while creating value-added photocatalysts, establishing a sustainable lifecycle from pollutant removal to functional material regeneration.