Efficient removal of nanoplastics from water using mesoporous metal organic frameworks

Nanoplastics have garnered significant global attention as emerging environmental contaminants due to their susceptibility to be internalized by organisms, potentially leading to higher ecological and health risks compared to microplastics. Recently, adsorption has emerged as a promising strategy for nanoplastic removal, and new adsorbents have demonstrated impressive performance in this regard. In this study, we focused on the removal of polystyrene nanoplastics (NPs) from aqueous environments using a series of mesoporous Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs). We synthesized mesoporous UiO-66 and its derivatives (–OH and –NH2) through direct solvothermal synthesis in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or Pluronic-type triblock copolymer (P123). The resulting materials had high crystallinity and displayed a hierarchical mesoporosity. Remarkably, we found that UiO-66-NH2/P123 demonstrated exceptional efficiency in removing NPs, achieving up to 100 % removal efficiency at an initial concentration of 1 g·L-1. This indicates its potential as a highly effective adsorbent for nanoplastic removal from aqueous media.