Thermally-activated gelatin–chitosan–MOF hybrid aerogels for efficient removal of ibuprofen and naproxen

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most frequently used drugs and have been frequently detected in aquatic environments. This paper demonstrates a thermally-activated gelatin-chitosan and amine-functionalized metal-organic framework (UiO-66-NH2) aerogel (CGC-MOF), which was successfully synthesized for the efficient removal of ibuprofen (IBP) and naproxen (NPX). Various characterization tools were used to systematically analyze the microstructure and physicochemical properties of the synthesized aerogel. In addition, the effect of key reaction parameters as well as batch and continuous-flow fixed-bed column experiments were carried out to elucidate the adsorption process. Several functional groups in the biopolymer network, combined with excellent MOF properties, synergistically couple to form an adsorbent with great performance. The mesoporous aerogel activated at 200 °C (CGC-MOF200) exhibited a high specific surface area (819.6 m2/g) that is valuable in providing abundant adsorption active sites that facilitate the efficient adsorption of IBP and NPX. CGC-MOF200 exhibited an excellent removal of IBP and NPX, accounting to 99.28 % and 96.39 %, respectively. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm models, suggesting heterogeneous and chemisorption adsorption processes. Overall, this work provides new and valuable insights into the development of a promising biopolymer-MOF composite aerogel for environmental remediation.