Journal of Advanced Materials and Technologies

Journal of Advanced Materials and Technologies

Kinetic Evaluation of the Removal of Heavy Metal Lead Ions from Aqueous Solution Using a Zirconium-Based Metal–Organic Framework (UiO-66)

Document Type : Original Reaearch Article

Authors
Mahdi Takalo 1
Sepehr Shakerizadeh 1
Iman Mobasherpour 2
Esmaeil Salahi 3
1 MSc Student, Department of Ceramic, Materials and Energy Research Center, Karaj, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Ceramic, Materials and Energy Research Center, Karaj, Iran.
3 Professor, Department of Ceramic, Materials and Energy Research Center, Karaj, Iran.
10.30501/jamt.2026.568922.1352
Abstract
Due to the high toxicity, chemical stability, bioaccumulation in food chains, and non-biodegradable nature of heavy metal contaminants, lead pollution, in particular, has emerged as one of the world's most significant environmental and public health issues. Therefore, the development of sustainable, economically viable, and efficient technologies for the removal of hazardous pollutants from water resources is of great importance. In this regard, the current study investigates the synthesis and characterization of a zirconium-containing metal-organic framework (UiO-66) as an adsorbent for the removal of divalent lead cations (Pb²⁺) from aqueous solutions through adsorption. In addition, the adsorption behavior and mechanism were investigated using various kinetic models. The results demonstrated that the UiO-66 adsorbent exhibits a considerable adsorption capacity of 114.46 mg/g for Pb²⁺ ions, indicating its effective performance in removing this heavy metal contaminant. Kinetic evaluation demonstrated that the adsorption behavior is best described by the pseudo-second-order model, with an excellent correlation coefficient (R² = 0.999), indicating that chemisorption predominates as the controlling mechanism of the process. In conclusion, the findings of this study introduce UiO-66 as a stable and promising adsorbent with significant potential for the efficient purification of lead-contaminated water.
Keywords
Metal-Organic Framework
Solvothermal
Lead
Adsorption
Kinetic Models
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 27 December 2025
  • Revise Date 25 February 2026
  • Accept Date 16 May 2026