A new adsorbent of a Ce ion-implanted metal-organic framework (MIL-96) with high-efficiency Ce utilization for removing fluoride from water.

A novel Ce(iii) ion-implanted aluminum-trimesic metal-organic framework (Ce-MIL-96) was synthesized for the first time via alcohol-solvent incipient wetness impregnation. Compared to previously reported Ce-contained adsorbents, the fluoride adsorption performance of the new ion-implanted metal-organic framework demonstrated much higher adsorption capacity and more efficient regeneration of Ce. In a wide pH range of 3 to 10, Ce-MIL-96 maintained constant adsorption performance for fluoride, and the residual Ce and Al in the treated solution were below the safe limits in drinking water. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ce-MIL-96 was 38.65 mg g-1 at 298 K. Excluding the contribution of MIL-96, the maximum adsorption capacity of Ce ions was 269.75 mg g-1, which demonstrated that the service efficiency of cerium in Ce-MIL-96 is about 6 times that in Ce2O3, nearly 10 times that in Ce-mZrp, and double that in Mn-Ce oxides. There was no significant influence on fluoride removal by Ce-MIL-96 due to the presence of chloride, nitrate, sulfate, bicarbonate or phosphate. Moreover, the adsorption capacity of Ce-MIL-96 remained at more than 70% after nine cycles of adsorption-desorption. Due to this excellent adsorption performance and its regeneration properties, Ce-MIL-96 is a promising adsorbent for the removal of fluoride from groundwater.