Upcycling PET plastic bottle and metal waste to functional metal organic framework

This study explores the sustainable synthesis of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) materials utilizing recycled PET bottles and heavy metal waste, demonstrating the potential of repurposing waste materials into functional MOFs for CO2 capture. The chemical recycling of PET via hydrolysis yielded terephthalic acid (TPA) with low impurity levels, facilitating efficient MOF synthesis. Characterization by FTIR, XRD, and SEM confirmed the formation of MIL-88B(Fe) structures with some distinctive morphological and structural features between samples synthesized from pure chemicals and those from wastes (MIL-88B(Fe)-W). The CO₂ adsorption capacities of the waste-derived and pure MIL-88B(Fe) were comparable with the value of about 1 mmol CO2/g. Superior adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like toluene and hexane was observed in the waste-derived MIL-88B(Fe)-W, attributed to structural defects and larger pore volumes. The study highlights the feasibility of using waste materials to produce MOFs with good VOC adsorption properties, emphasizing the dual benefits of waste valorization and environmental sustainability. Continued research and optimization are crucial to enhance the performance and industrial applicability of waste-derived MOFs.