Pillared‐Layer Metal‐Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Photodegradation of Methyl Orange in Wastewater

Abstract

AbstractThe photocatalytic performance of pillared‐layer metal‐organic framework (MOF), {[Cu2(Fu)2(BPY)]·H2O}n, is studied in detail toward the degradation of methyl orange as a model dye which is toxic, non‐biodegradable, and discharged to the environment as wastewater by textile industries. This model dye is degraded in the laboratory in the presence of UV light and semiconducting MOF, {[Cu2(Fu)2(BPY)]·H2O}n. The optimized conditions for the photodegradation efficiency of the MOF are achieved after considering the effect of pH and MOF loading at a fixed dye concentration. 96% of the 10‐ppm methyl orange is photodegraded after loading 0.25 g L−1 of the photocatalyst into an aqueous solution of the dye at pH 5.2 for 140 min UV light irradiation time. The photocatalyst is recycled five times and 96%, 88%, 87%, 80%, and 53% degradation efficiencies can be achieved in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth cycles, respectively. The powder X‐ray diffraction analysis of the recycled photocatalyst shows that the crystallinity of the MOF is maintained in the five runs. Thus, {[Cu2(Fu)2(BPY)]·H2O}n assists the degradation of the environmentally hazardous methyl orange in the presence of UV light.