Facile synthesis of Fe–MOFs for enhanced adsorptive removal of heavy metal(loid)s: mechanistic insights and application prospects

Over the past few decades, diverse chemicals and materials, such as mono– and bimetallic nanoparticles, Fe-metal oxides, and zeolites, have been used to remove heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) from water. Iron–based metal–organic frameworks (Fe–MOFs) have gained prominence due to their programmable pore structure, ultra-high specific surface area, and abundant coordination sites. Fe–MOFs have received attention for a wide range of water treatment applications, including HMs wastewater treatment and organic wastewater treatment. Fe–MOFs have great potential for diverse environmental applications without any environmental problems. Therefore, this review provides comprehensive information on the recent progress in the use of Fe–MOFs as green materials for sustainable treatment processes, especially for advanced treatment of HMs wastewater. We reviewed diverse synthetic recipes for Fe–MOFs and their associated physicochemical properties as adsorbents for the elimination of a diverse range of HMs, such as As, Cr, Pb, Cd and Sb from water/wastewater samples. A summary of the adsorption and influence mechanisms of Fe–MOFs in water remediation is provided, and the future of Fe–MOFs is discussed in this review.