Metal-Organic Framework Based on Iron Doping: Green Synthesis and Sustainable Adsorbent for Anionic Dye Contaminated Water

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Civil Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technical Engineering, Qom University of Technology (QUT), Qom, Iran

Abstract

Industrial effluents have emerged as a critical environmental challenge due to limited water resources, their toxic nature, and carcinogenic properties. Therefore, it is essential to treat industrial wastewater and eliminate toxic pollutants. This study focuses on synthesizing nanocrystals of zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIF-8) by doping with iron to create a porous ZnFe/ZIF-8 (ZFZ) composite using a green method (water solvent) to enhance performance and synergistic effects. The morphology of ZFZ nanocrystals was analyzed using a variety of complementary characterization techniques (FTIR, XRD, and SEM). The ZFZ and ZIF-8 were assessed for the removal of Direct Red 23 (DR-23) dye from wastewater by varying the effective variables (pH, dye dosage, initial concentration, and contact time). For comparative analysis, ZIF-8 was also synthesized and used in conjunction with ZFZ to remove the DR-23 dye. The results demonstrated that ZFZ possesses a significantly higher adsorption capacity (383 mg/g) for DR-23 than ZIF-8 (94.79 mg/g), representing a fourfold enhancement. At a contact time of 120 minutes, the ZFZ composite achieved a maximum removal efficiency of 92.3% with 0.006 g of adsorbent at pH 3. Analysis of the equilibrium adsorption data for anionic dyes confirmed a strong alignment with the Langmuir model (R² = 0.99), consistent with a homogeneous, monolayer adsorption process. Additionally, the adsorption mechanism on ZFZ and ZIF-8 composites followed second-order kinetics with R² = 0.99. These findings confirm that synthesized ZFZ is an efficient adsorbent for the remediation of dye-contaminated wastewater.

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Advances in Environmental Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 April 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 28 December 2025
  • Accept Date: 21 April 2026

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