In-situ growth of metal–organic framework on ionic cross-linking cellulose aerogel for adsorption and Fenton degradation of tetracycline

The environmental risks posed by tetracycline (TC) antibiotics have garnered global attention, making their effective removal from water an urgent issue. This study introduces a novel method to load metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) onto cellulose aerogels (CA) using ionic cross-linking and in-situ synthesis. The resulting MOF@CA (MIL-101(Fe)@CA and HKUST-1@CA) was prepared through ambient pressure drying and exhibited both adsorption and Fenton-like degradation capabilities for removing high concentrations of TC. The results indicated that MOF@CA had a high adsorption capacity for TC, following a pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacities were 606.06 mg/g for MIL-101(Fe)@CA and 438.60 mg/g for HKUST-1@CA. Upon activation of the Fenton-like reaction by H₂O₂ addition, MIL-101(Fe)@CA exhibited enhanced TC removal efficiency from 80.08 % to 94.26 %, while HKUST-1@CA demonstrated a significant improvement from 59.31 % to 83.65 %. The adsorption and degradation mechanisms of MOF@CA were investigated using BET, FTIR, XPS, EPR, and quenching experiments. This study provides a feasible strategy for the macroscopic loading of MOFs and the treatment of high-concentration wastewater.