Metal-Organic Frameworks for Environmental Remediation

The field of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) is gaining prominence in environmental remediation, largely driven by the challenges associated with rapidly intensifying industrialization and urbanization. Persistent pollutants, such as heavy metals, organic toxins, and gaseous compounds, are accumulating in ecosystems and increasingly threatening human health. Conventional remediation methods, including adsorption, catalysis, and separation, are constrained by low selectivity, limited efficiency, and the risk of unwanted secondary contamination. In this context, MOFs represent a major advancement in remediation materials. Their ultrahigh porosity, tunable pore geometry, and customizable surface chemistry enable targeted pollutant capture and efficient catalytic degradation, addressing longstanding obstacles in traditional remediation platforms.

Recent research has shown that MOFs achieve superior pollutant uptake, improved catalytic properties in advanced oxidation processes, and enhanced reusability compared to conventional single-component materials. Strategic modifications to metal nodes, organic linkers, and surface functional groups optimize adsorption selectivity and catalytic activity, while composite and hybrid formulations further extend material stability and performance in complex environmental matrices. However, further research is needed on rational design principles, pollutant-specific selectivity, mechanism elucidation, and large-scale application to move these promising materials from laboratory innovation to practical, scalable remediation solutions.

This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding and development of MOFs for effective environmental remediation. Central objectives include optimizing porosity and surface chemistry to enhance adsorption and catalytic pathways, investigating the roles of linker and metal cluster modifications, and demonstrating efficacy and durability in real or simulated environmental matrices containing mixed pollutants.

To gather further insights in the domain of MOF-based environmental remediation, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Structural and functional engineering of MOFs for superior pollutant selectivity and uptake
• MOF composites and hybrid materials for enhanced adsorption and catalytic performance
• Mechanistic studies on adsorption, radical-based advanced oxidation processes, and contaminant transformation in MOF systems
• Performance assessment and validation in real or complex environmental matrices
• Development of MOF systems with enhanced reusability, regenerability, and long-term stability for scalable use

We welcome original research articles reporting novel MOF materials or mechanistic insights, review articles synthesizing recent advances, and short communications on preliminary findings. Manuscripts bridging lab-scale innovation to scalable remediation technologies are particularly encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Water remediation, Adsorption, AOPs, Catalytic pollutant degradation, MOF composites and hybrid catalysts

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.