SURFACTANT-ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS FOR HEAVY METAL REMOVAL

Novel Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), specifically Ca-BTC-H 2 O (Ca(hbtc)⋅2H 2 O), featuring diverse sizes and shapes, have been synthesized via a surfactant-assisted method. In this synthesis, Ca(II) serves as the metal center, while trimesic acid acts as the organic ligand. Further research has delved into the correlation between the surfactant contents and the resulting particle morphology of the synthesized product. The samples underwent comprehensive characterization through a series of techniques, including but not limited to scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results demonstrated that the size and shape of Ca-BTC-H2O are tunable by adjusting the contents of the surfactant used in the synthesis process. Rod- and sheet-like Ca-BTC-H2O are now readily accessible. Furthermore, the kinetic characteristics of removing heavy metal Pb(II) using the rod-shaped Ca-BTC-H 2 O were investigated. The findings revealed that the as-synthesized Ca-BTC-H2O effectively facilitates the removal of Pb(II) heavy metals from sewage, demonstrating its potential as a wastewater treatment agent.