Hollow Co-MOF-74 incorporated electrospun nanofiber membranes with hierarchical structures for enhanced removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by drain-type adsorption

Developing efficient adsorbents for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from aqueous solutions is an attractive and significative task. Herein, we demonstrate a route to fabricate hollow Co-MOF-74 incorporated electrospun nanofiber membranes and combine it with a homemade filter device for drain-type adsorption to remove PAHs from aqueous solutions. The removal efficiency of the prepared H-NFMs were more than 80% (except B[ghi]p = 75%), and exhibited excellent reusability for multiple regeneration cycles. In addition, the introduced H-Co-MOF-74 material possessed a large surface area (633.6 m2 g−1) and hollow structure, which could supply more exposed adsorption active sites, accelerate mass transfer and shorten the adsorption equilibrium time. By loading H-Co-MOF-74 in nanofiber membranes, H-NFMs have high hydrophobicity, good mechanical and thermal stability, while the filters and membranes can be easily recycled separately after the adsorption is completed. This study not only proposed a simple and rapid adsorption method of an efficient sorbent material but also provided an ingenious separation and removal strategy for other pollutants in aqueous solutions.