Metal-organic frameworks for sustainable precious metal recovery: A review of recent advances

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been recently recognized as prospective materials for the uptake and recovery of precious metals (PMs). This is due to their distinctive characteristics, which include massive surface areas (up to 10,000 m²/g), diversified pore diameters, multiple target sites, and designed functionalities. The performance of the MOFs for PMs recovery is still not comprehensively reviewed, despite their substantial potential. This review offers a thorough examination of the recent developments within PM uptake by the MOFs and MOF-based hybrids. Furthermore, we investigate the mechanistic chemistry of PM adsorption by MOFs in relation to a variety of interactions, including electrostatic coupling, chemical bonding, ion exchange, H-bonding, reduction, coordination and acid-base interaction. Lastly, we emphasize the potential for further study and development to bolster the strategy of introducing novel materials for PM recovery. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.