Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as
advanced
nanoporous materials to remove phenylarsenic acid, p-arsanilic acid (p-ASA), and roxarsone (ROX) in
the aqueous solution, while MOFs are often present as powder state
and encounter difficulties in recovery after adsorption, which greatly
limit their practical application in the aqueous environments. Herein,
MIL-101 (Fe), a typical MOF, was mixed with sodium alginate and gelatin
to prepare MIL-101@CAGE by three-dimensional (3D) printing technology,
which was then used as a separatable adsorbent to remove phenylarsenic
acid in the aqueous solution. The structure of 3D-printed MIL-101@CAGE
was first characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron
microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and thermogravimetry
and differential thermogravimetry (TG-DTG). The octahedral morphology
of MIL-101 (Fe) was found unchanged during the 3D printing process.
Then, the adsorption process of MIL-101@CAGE on phenylarsenic acids
was systematically investigated by adsorption kinetics, adsorption
isotherms, adsorption thermodynamics, condition experiments, and cyclic
regeneration experiments. Finally, the adsorption mechanism between
MIL-101@CAGE and phenylarsenic acid was further investigated. The
results showed that the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms
were well fit, and according to the Langmuir fitting results, the
maximum adsorption amounts of MIL-101@CAGE on p-ASA
and ROX at 25 °C were 106.98 and 120.28 mg/g, respectively. The
removal of p-ASA and ROX by MIL-101@CAGE remained
stable over a wide pH range and in the presence of various coexisting
ions. The regeneration experiments showed that the 3D-printed MIL-101@CAGE
could still maintain a more than 90% removal rate after five cycles.
The adsorption mechanism of this system might include π–π
stacking interactions between the benzene ring on the phenylarsenic
acids and the organic ligands in MIL-101@CAGE, hydrogen-bonding, and
ligand-bonding interactions (Fe–O–As). This study provides
a new idea for the scale preparation of a separatable and recyclable
adsorbent based on MOF material for the efficient removal of phenylarsenic
acid in the aqueous solution.