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Efficient removal of microplastics from aqueous environment by magnetic MOFs: Performance & mechanism
Summary
Scientists created a magnetic sponge-like material that can soak up tiny plastic particles from water and then be pulled out easily with a magnet for reuse—tackling two big problems at once: removing microplastics effectively and making cleanup practical at scale. This matters because microplastics are increasingly found in our drinking water and food, and better removal tools like this could help reduce our exposure to these particles, whose long-term health effects scientists are still studying.
Addressing the urgent need for microplastic (MPs) removal technologies that combine high efficiency with easy recovery, this study designed a magnetic adsorbent by integrating FeO with the highly stable and porous MIL-101(Cr). The resulting FeO/MIL-101(Cr) composite maintained a high specific surface area (977 m/g) while gaining magnetic separability, effectively overcoming the pore-blocking issue common in conventional composites. It exhibited high adsorption performance toward polystyrene (PS, 1 μm and 10 μm) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, 1 μm and 10 μm), as evidenced by experimentally determined adsorption capacities of 892, 10,285, 794, and 6616 mg/g, respectively. The adsorbent retained its efficacy across a broad pH range (2-8), in the presence of competing ions and humic acid, and could be regenerated and reused for five cycles in river water. However, when under alkaline conditions, structural degradation occurred, significantly restricting its potential for application in such environments. Mechanistic studies revealed that the removal process was governed by a synergy of hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, electrostatic attraction, and van der Waals forces. This work provides a straightforward strategy for synthesizing an effective magnetic adsorbent with strong potential for MPs remediation in natural aquatic environments.