Efficiency and selectivity of cost-effective Zn-MOF for dye removal, kinetic and thermodynamic approach

Green synthesis of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has attracted a lot of attention as a crucial step for practical industrial applications. In this work, green synthesis of zinc(II) metal–organic framework (Zn-MOF) has been carried out at room temperature. The Zn metal (node) was extracted from spent domestic batteries, and the linker was benzene di-carboxylic acid (BDC). The characterization of the as-prepared Zn-MOF was accomplished by PXRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, TGA, and nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. All the characterization techniques strongly supported that as-synthesized Zn-MOF using metallic solid waste Zn is similar to that was reported in the literature. The as-prepared Zn-MOF was stable in water for 24 h without any changes in its functional groups and framework. The prepared Zn-MOF was tested for the adsorption of three dyes, two anionic dyes, aniline blue (AB), and orange II (O(II)) as well as methylene blue (MB), an example of cationic dye from aqueous solution. AB has the highest equilibrium adsorbed amount, q(e), of value 55.34 mg g(−1) at pH = 7 and 25 °C within 40 min. Investigation of the adsorption kinetics indicated that these adsorption processes could be described as a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Furthermore, the adsorption process of the three dyes was described well by the Freundlich isotherm model. According to the thermodynamic parameters, the adsorption of AB on the prepared Zn-MOF was an endothermic and spontaneous process. In contrast, it was non-spontaneous and exothermic for the uptake of O(II) and MB. This study complements the business case development model of “solid waste to value-added MOFs.” SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-023-25919-4.