Mercury removal from water: insights from MOFs and their composites

Abstract Mercury pollution is disturbing, human health by causing many serious types of diseases. Therefore, elimination of mercury from water bodies is very important that is gaining attention among researchers, and researchers are setting priority measures to make mercury free water. One such measure is the use of MOFs and their composites which are extensively applied for the removal of Hg from water, because of displaying majestical characteristics like high water stability, tunable porosity and surface area as well as easy to synthesize. In this review, we discussed the elimination of Hg ions using MOFs and their composites. We also discussed how MOFs and their composites can be modified that can be more reliable and efficient for removal of pollutants from water particularly mercury ions. Furthermore, we explored the challenges in the application of MOFs and present measures to boost the application range of MOFs. In the same way we also discussed potential of MOFs and their composites to overcome difficulties and research directions for the elimination of Hg (II) ions from water bodies. We expect that this review will offer inclusive and clear understanding to researchers about MOFs and their composite for practical applications to remove mercury from water bodies.