The Effectiveness of MOFs for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Aquatic Environments: A Review Focused on Antibiotics Removal

There is an increasing level of various pollutants and their persistence in aquatic environments. The improper use of antibiotics and their inefficient metabolism in organisms result in their release into aquatic environments. Antibiotic abuse has led to hazardous effects on human health. Thereby, efficient removal of pharmaceuticals, particularly antibiotics, from wastewater and contaminated water bodies is greatly interested in international research communities. Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials, as a hybrid group of material containing metallic center and organic linkers, offer a porous structure that is highly efficient for removing different pollutants from contaminated water and wastewater streams. This article aims to review the recent advancement in using MOF-based adsorbents and catalysts for the removal of pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics, from polluted water. Applying MOFs-based structures for removing antibiotics using photocatalytic removal and adsorptive removal techniques will be discussed and evaluated in this review paper. Various MOF-based materials such as functionalized MOFs, MOF-based composites, magnetic MOF-based composites, MOFs templated-metal oxide catalysts for removing pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and antibiotics from contaminated aqueous media are discussed. Furthermore, effective operational parameters on the adsorption, adsorption mechanisms, adsorption isotherms, and thermodynamic parameters are explained and discussed. Finally, in the concluding remarks, the challenges and future outlooks of using MOFs-based adsorbents and catalysts for removing antibiotics are summarized.