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Beyond Disposal: Unleashing the Potential of Plastic and Metal Waste in Producing Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Environmental Revitalization
Summary
Scientists are turning plastic bottle waste and toxic metal waste (like battery scraps and industrial sludge) into useful materials called MOFs — sponge-like structures that can filter pollutants out of water and soil. This matters because it tackles two big environmental problems at once: reducing plastic pollution that breaks down into microplastics, and safely reusing hazardous heavy metals instead of letting them contaminate our water supply. This is a review paper summarizing existing research on how these waste materials can be converted into pollution-fighting tools, rather than reporting new lab results.
The malpractice and inappropriate disposal of single-use plastic wastes and heavy metals cause major environmental pollution by contaminating water and soil, causing harmful effects to both the environment and humanity. The bridging and utilization of organic and inorganic wastes to develop highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) would significantly impact waste elimination from the environment by conserving resources and recycling hazardous wastes. MOFs are highly porous materials with tailorable structures and versatile properties, such as high surface area, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a major plastic waste, could be sourced to produce waste-derived MOF by depolymerizing the polymer to benzene-dicarboxylic acid (BDC). Meanwhile, metal precursors extracted from inorganic wastes such as electroplating sludge, spent batteries, aluminum dross, industrial wastewater, bones, and eggshells can serve as the metal part (metal ion cluster) in the MOF structure. Utilizing waste-derived MOFs helps = divert metal and plastic waste from the environment by converting it into value-added products and upcycling waste to functional MOFs. This chapter describes the utilization of various sources of waste, synthesis protocols, and different types of waste-derived MOFs with their applications in environmental remediation. The waste-derived MOFs provide a platform to develop value-added porous materials from wastes, complying with the 3Rs (Reduce, Recycle & Reuse) concept towards a cleaner and greener environment.