Novel MOF-808 metal–organic framework as highly efficient adsorbent of perfluorooctane sulfonate in water.

[Display omitted] • MOF-808 adsorbed 939 mg/g PFOS from aqueous solution. • MOF-808 showed excellent stability in water in the pH range of 2 to 10. • Electrostatic attraction between MOF-808′s Zr cluster and PFOS's SO 3 – took place. • PFOS removal was the highest at equilibrium solution pH around 5. • Formation of micelles affected PFOS adsorption capacity on MOF-808. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a highly persistent contaminant of emerging concern causing harmful effects to human and ecosystem health. In this study, a novel MOF-808 metal–organic framework (MOF) was prepared and evaluated for adsorptive removal of PFOS from aqueous solution. The MOF-808 had high specific surface area (SSA; 1610 m2/g) and was structurally stable in aqueous medium for 7 days under different pH conditions. The MOF-808 reached PFOS adsorption equilibrium within 30 min (at 500 mg/L initial PFOS) and attained the maximum adsorption capacity of 939 mg/g at pH 4.1 – 5.4 (with 50 – 500 mg/L initial PFOS). The PFOS adsorption capacity of MOF-808 was unaffected at pH 2 to 7, but gradually decreased at pH > 7. High SSA, favorable pore size and abundant active adsorption sites on MOF-808 triggered high PFOS adsorption onto the adsorbent. The PFOS adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous in nature. Electrostatic interaction between the cationic central cluster ([Zr 6 O 4 (OH) 4 ]12+) of MOF-808 and PFOS anion was identified as the key mechanism of PFOS adsorption onto MOF-808, as evident from the infrared spectroscopic investigation of the adsorbent. This study suggests that MOF-808 can be considered as a highly efficient adsorbent for PFOS removal from water and warrants future research to evaluate the application and performance of the material under wastewater conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]