Superior adsorption and removal of aquaculture and bio-staining dye from industrial wastewater using microporous nanocubic Zn-MOFs

Abstract

The indirect release of excessive amounts of poisonous dyes into water has drastically affected the environment. Thus, in this work, a method to remove dyes from industrial water was investigated using ecofriendly cubic inorganic–organic Zn metal–organic frameworks (CZM). In particular, the room-temperature one-pot synthesis of inorganic–organic Zn-MOF nanocubes with superior adsorption capacity for the removal of malachite green (MG) dye in wastewater samples was studied. The nanocubes featured intergrowing chains with highly accessible surface areas, and uniform micropores could trap MG dye from wastewater. The inorganic–organic frameworks exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for MG. The adsorption conditions, such as the solution pH, played a significant role in generating an active negatively charged surface throughout the Zn-MOF adsorbent, thereby yielding microporous surfaces with strong ability to interact with and take up MG dye. Adsorption experiments revealed the high capacity of CZM for MG removal (953.14 mg g−1), and this capacity was maintained even after multiple reuse cycles. The microporous CZM adsorbent demonstrated a simple and effective model for water purification and the management of industrial wastewater. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to report the usage of Zn-MOF adsorbents for the removal of MG dye in wastewater samples.