Fabrication of HKUST-1/ZnO/SA Nanocomposite for Doxycycline and Naproxen Adsorption from Contaminated Water

Doxycycline and Naproxen are among the most widely used drugs in the therapy of CoVID 19 disease found in surface water. Water scarcity in recent years has led to research to treat polluted water. One of the easy and low-cost methods for treatment is adsorption. The utilize of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) to evacuate pharmaceutical contaminants from water sources has been considered by researchers in the last decade. In this research, HKUST-1/ZnO/SA composite with high adsorption capacity, chemical and water stability, recovery, and reuse properties has been synthesized and investigated. By adding 10 wt% of ZnO and 50 wt% of sodium alginate to HKUST-1, at 25 °C and pH = 7, the specific surface area is reduced by 60%. The parameters of drugs concentration C0 =(5,80) mg/L, time=(15,240) min, and pH= (2,12) were investigated, and the results showed that the HKUST-1/ZnO/SA is stable in water for 14 days and it can be used in 10 cycles with 80% removal efficiency. The maximum Adsorption loading of doxycycline and Naproxen upon HKUST-1/ZnO/SA is 97.58 and 80.04 mg/g, respectively. Based on the correlation coefficient (R2), the pseudo-second-order and the Langmuir isotherm models were selected for drug adsorption. The proposed mechanism of drug uptake is by MOFs, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic bonding, and acid-base interaction.