Cradle‐to‐Gate Environmental Impact Assessment of Commercially Available Metal‐Organic Frameworks Manufacturing

Abstract Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising next‐generation crystalline porous materials with exceptional structural, chemical, and application diversity. Since their discovery, the reticular tunability and physiochemical properties of MOFs have been studied and carefully manipulated to make them suitable for a wide variety of applications. After decades of research, these materials are moving from the benchtop to commercial, industrial‐scale production. Although MOFs are now widely explored, the overall environmental impacts of these emerging materials are still underexplored. In this work, the first example of overall assessment of ten industrially produced and widely explored MOFs considering 18 diverse environmental impact categories such as global warming potential, fossil resource scarcity, water consumption, ecotoxicity, etc. via cradle‐to‐gate life cycle assessment is presented. Importantly, this study presents a comprehensive comparison between different synthetic methods of each MOF and compiles the environmental impacts associated only with the individual “synthesis” or “washing” steps. This study highlights the critical importance of using of green solvents over organic to reduce the overall environmental footprint. By identifying the synthetic drawbacks associated with different methods, this work provides a blueprint for the sustainable design and required future development of MOF synthesis.