Anion-exchanged and quaternary ammonium functionalized MIL-101-Cr metal-organic framework (MOF) for ReO 4 – /TcO 4 – sequestration from groundwater
There are few effective technologies for the sequestration of highly water-soluble pertechnetate (TcO 4 – ) from contaminated water despite the urgency of environmental and public health concerns. Here, anion exchanged and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) functionalized MIL-101-Cr-NO 3 were investigated for perrhenate (ReO 4 – ), a surrogate of TcO 4 – , sequestration from artificial groundwater. Cl – , I – , and CF 3 SO 3 – exchanged MIL-101-Cr proved more effective at ReO 4 – removal than the parent MIL-101-Cr-F. Compared to the parent framework, CTAB functionalized MIL-101-Cr-NO 3 increased ReO 4 – removal capacity from 39 to 139 mg/g, improved the reaction kinetics from ~30 to <10 min to reach full adsorption capacity and the selectivity for ReO 4 – over competing NO 3 – , CO 3 2– , SO 4 2– , and Cl – . Spectroscopic data indicated that the chemical speciation of Re in the exchanged MIL-101-Cr remained ReO 4 – , indicating synergistic sequestration through both anion exchange and non-ion exchange binding with the positively charged ligand of CTAB. These studies foreshadow potential applications of MOFs for the remediation of 99 TcO 4 – from contaminated environments.