Sustainable Synthesis of Metal (Ce, Fe, and Cu)–Organic Framework as Multi-functional Catalysts for Water and Air Pollution Control
摘要
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) derived nanomaterials were synthesized using Ce, Fe, and Cu metal precursors with trimesic acid (TMA) as the organic linker via a green synthesis route, and their structural, morphological, and catalytic properties were systematically investigated. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the formation of crystalline, phase-pure frameworks with characteristic metal–ligand coordination. In contrast, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda (BJH) analyses revealed mesoporous structures with distinct surface areas and pore volumes. Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) analysis demonstrated morphology-dependent features, including porous rods (Ce-TMA), coral-like aggregates (Fe-TMA), and cuboidal crystalline structures (Cu-TMA). Catalytic performance tests revealed that Fe-TMA achieved the highest chlorpyrifos degradation efficiency (99.6%) through efficient Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox cycling and adsorption-driven radical generation, followed by Ce-TMA (98.5%) and Cu-TMA (82%). Kinetic analysis revealed that pseudo-first-order and intraparticle diffusion models best describe the degradation process, underscoring the combined roles of adsorption and surface reactions. For carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation, Cu-TMA outperformed the other catalysts, achieving the lowest temperature (T50 = 352 °C) and the highest pre-exponential factor. In contrast, Fe-TMA exhibited moderate performance, whereas Ce-TMA was limited by its low active site density. These findings confirm that TMA-linked MOFs synthesised through green chemistry are a sustainable, multifunctional catalysts for addressing both water and soil pollution (chlorpyrifos degradation) and air pollution (CO oxidation), with Fe-TMA excelling in wastewater treatment and Cu-TMA proving superior in emission control.
Graphical Abstract