Water purification: Removal of Heavy metals Using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)

Contamination of groundwater is a growing global concern, and the problem demands the development of innovative technology for removal of heavy metals from water to maintain a sustainable supply of clean drinking water. The current materials in use possess several drawbacks, such as producing large amounts of by-products, economic viability, and so on. Metal-organic frameworks or MOFs are a relatively new class of materials that offers ultrahigh surface area and modular structure that can be engineered to sequester and remove heavy metals by adsorption which can be enhanced by synthetic modifications. This chapter highlights the recently studied MOFs and MOF composites for the removal of three heavy metals, namely, mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd), along with an overview of their removal efficiencies and different kinds of strategies used for designing these materials.