Highly Effective Removal of Pharmaceutical Compounds from Aqueous Solution by Magnetic Zr-Based MOFs Composites

In this research, the magnetic UiO-66-NH₂ composites were prepared and applied as adsorbents for the effective removal of salicylic acid (SA) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) from aqueous media. The as-prepared adsorbent inherits both the excellent properties of metal organic frameworks and the magnetic separation property of magnetic material, which makes the magnetic UiO-66-NH₂ composite exhibit a rapid separation rate and high capacity. The adsorption kinetics were well fitted with the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption isotherm could be well explained using the Langmuir isotherm. The dominant mechanism for adsorption of SA and ASA was hydrogen-bonding, the affinity of carboxyl groups with Zr–O clusters, and electrostatic interactions. The high adsorption capacities, easy separation process, fast adsorption kinetics, and satisfactory reusability of the magnetic UiO-66-NH₂ give it fantastic potential as adsorbents for adsorptive separation of pharmaceutical contaminants from aqueous media.