Metal-organic frameworks for catalytic degradation of emerging dye contaminants in wastewater: A critical review of material design, reaction mechanisms, and engineering application
- 1School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Healthy Freshwater Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Zhejiang Institute of Freshwater Fisheries, Huzhou 313001, China
- 3Nephrology Department, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221002, China
Abstract
Industrial effluents from the textile, dyeing, and papermaking industries commonly contain dyes that are compositionally complex, environmentally persistent, and often resistant to biodegradation, posing potential ecological and human–health risks. These attributes render the treatment of dye–laden wastewater a major challenge in global water–pollution control. Conventional physical, chemical, and biological methods (e.g., adsorption, coagulation/precipitation, and redox processes) are constrained by limited efficiency, unfavorable costs, and risks of secondary pollution. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), with ordered porosity, tunable metal nodes, tailorable linkers, and adjustable pore microenvironments, offer a versatile platform for dye adsorption, catalytic degradation, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and membrane–assisted separation. This review critically summarizes recent advances in MOF–based dye degradation from the perspectives of material design, reaction mechanisms, and engineering applicability. Particular attention is given to how metal–node regulation, linker functionalization, defect engineering, morphology control, activation strategies, and multicomponent construction affect active–site accessibility, interfacial enrichment, charge transfer, reactive species generation, and dye–specific degradation pathways. Finally, key challenges related to structural stability, metal leaching, recyclability, catalyst recovery, mineralization, toxicity evolution, real–wastewater adaptability, and continuous–flow implementation are discussed. This review provides a structure–mechanism–application framework for designing practical MOF–based catalytic systems for dye wastewater remediation.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026metalorganic,
title = {{Metal-organic frameworks for catalytic degradation of emerging dye contaminants in wastewater: A critical review of material design, reaction mechanisms, and engineering application}},
author = {Jinping Chen and Junrong Zhang and Xinglin Chen and Yiyin Zhu and Xinlin Liu and Shangshang Ma and 黄爱霞 and Yu Wu and Feng Lin and Yang Zhou},
journal = {Results in Engineering},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111294},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111294},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Metal-organic frameworks for catalytic degradation of emerging dye contaminants in wastewater: A critical review of material design, reaction mechanisms, and engineering application
AU - Jinping Chen
AU - Junrong Zhang
AU - Xinglin Chen
AU - Yiyin Zhu
AU - Xinlin Liu
AU - Shangshang Ma
AU - 黄爱霞
AU - Yu Wu
AU - Feng Lin
AU - Yang Zhou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/29
JO - Results in Engineering
DO - 10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111294
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.111294
AB - Industrial effluents from the textile, dyeing, and papermaking industries commonly contain dyes that are compositionally complex, environmentally persistent, and often resistant to biodegradation, posing potential ecological and human–health risks. These attributes render the treatment of dye–laden wastewater a major challenge in global water–pollution control. Conventional physical, chemical, and biological methods (e.g., adsorption, coagulation/precipitation, and redox processes) are constrained by limited efficiency, unfavorable costs, and risks of secondary pollution. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), with ordered porosity, tunable metal nodes, tailorable linkers, and adjustable pore microenvironments, offer a versatile platform for dye adsorption, catalytic degradation, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and membrane–assisted separation. This review critically summarizes recent advances in MOF–based dye degradation from the perspectives of material design, reaction mechanisms, and engineering applicability. Particular attention is given to how metal–node regulation, linker functionalization, defect engineering, morphology control, activation strategies, and multicomponent construction affect active–site accessibility, interfacial enrichment, charge transfer, reactive species generation, and dye–specific degradation pathways. Finally, key challenges related to structural stability, metal leaching, recyclability, catalyst recovery, mineralization, toxicity evolution, real–wastewater adaptability, and continuous–flow implementation are discussed. This review provides a structure–mechanism–application framework for designing practical MOF–based catalytic systems for dye wastewater remediation.
SN - 2590-1230
ER -