Preparation of MOF-5 imprinted chromium ferrite and its application in decontaminating metronidazole and penicillin G contaminated water system
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Date
2025-05
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Nature
Abstract
Metronidazole (MZ) and penicillin G (PG) are antibiotics frequently detected in aqueous systems
as pollutants. Their presence in water systems is a global challenge requiring the development of
sustainable solutions for water purification. Therefore, this study synthesized and improved the
adsorption performance of chromium ferrite (CrFe2O4) via incorporation of metal-organic framework
(MOF-5) to produce CrFe2O4@MOF-5 composite. CrFe2O4@MOF-5 and CrFe2O4 were characterized
using a series of analytical instrument. Both adsorbents exhibited a four-phase mass loss from the
thermogravimetric analysis, while the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) results gave a surface area of
40.94 m² g− 1 for CrFe2O4 and 59.76 m² g− 1 for CrFe2O4@MOF-5. Interestingly, microscopical images
unfolded the surfaces of CrFe2O4@MOF-5 and CrFe2O4 to be heterogeneous, while elemental surface
mapping confirmed the constituent elements of CrFe2O4@MOF-5 and CrFe2O4 to be Cr, Fe, O, C
and Zn. CrFe2O4@MOF-5 exhibited a higher affinity (91.67 mg g− 1) for PG than CrFe2O4 (53.82 mg
g− 1). Similarly, the performance of CrFe2O4@MOF-5 was better (90.24 mg g− 1) compared to CrFe2O4
(50.41 mg g− 1) towards MZ. Both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm may describe the removal
process of MZ and PG by CrFe2O4@MOF-5 while sorption of MZ and PG by CrFe2O4 fitted best for
Langmuir isotherm in a sorption mechanism involving electrostatic interaction and pore diffusion. The
adsorption performance of CrFe2O4@MOF-5 and its regeneration capacity compared agreeably with
most published adsorbents in literature. This current study showed CrFe2O4@MOF-5 as a potential
adsorbent for decontaminating MZ and PG-polluted water systems.