Advances in the application of chitosan-based metal organic frameworks as adsorbents for environmental remediation

Chitosan is a bio-adsorbent with many amino and hydroxyl groups. The physicochemical properties of chitosan can be greatly enhanced by the formation of composites with other adsorbents. Thus, some researchers have incorporated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) such as MIL (Materials Institute Lavoisier), UiO (University of Oslo), ZIF (Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks) and, HKUST (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) series into the chitosan structure resulting in the formation of adsorbents with better adsorptive properties and mechanical stability. The advances in the application of these chitosan/MOF composites during the adsorption of environmental contaminants are the main aim of this current review. The review showed that composites of chitosan and MOFs are versatile adsorbents of a variety of environmental pollutants, and most of them can be easily regenerated and recycled. In addition, the challenges associated with the use of these composites and future prospects are explored in detail in this review.