Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Sep 26;15(43):35756-35769.
doi: 10.1039/d5ra06296a.

Heavy metal pollution in aquatic environments and removal using highly efficient bimetallic metal-organic framework adsorbents

Kawan F Kayani  1 , Sewara J Mohammed  1
Affiliations
Review

Heavy metal pollution in aquatic environments and removal using highly efficient bimetallic metal-organic framework adsorbents

Kawan F Kayani et al. RSC Adv. .

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and industrial development worldwide have significantly increased the release and spread of anthropogenic heavy metals, extending their impact from local sources to broader regions. This growing pollution poses serious risks to human health and aquatic ecosystems. Although extensive research has been conducted on the removal of heavy metal from water, existing treatment methods still require optimization for improved efficiency and specificity. Among these, adsorption is recognized as the most effective technique, with bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (BMOFs) emerging as highly promising adsorbents due to their exceptional adsorption capabilities and potential to address complex environmental challenges. Therefore, it is essential to implement measures that reduce heavy metal concentrations in water to safe levels. This review provides a detailed account of the sources and toxicity of heavy metals to humans and ecosystems. It explains BMOFs, their synthesis, and mechanisms of interaction with heavy metals, and, for the first time, explores the application of BMOFs for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous environments. In summary, this review offers a comprehensive overview of the latest progress in BMOF-based heavy metal remediation, providing valuable insights for future BMOF synthesis and practical solutions for water decontamination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. (A) Number of papers published on “Metal–Organic Frameworks” and “Bimetallics,” and (B) types of papers published from 2005 to 2025, based on a Scopus database search.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Schematic diagram illustrating the removal of heavy metals by BMOFs.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Toxicity of heavy metals for human health and ecosystems.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Comparison of the key advantages of BMOFs over conventional adsorbent.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Schematic of BMOF synthesis via one-step and post-synthetic approaches.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6. Schematic illustration of the mechanism between heavy metals and BMOFs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Razzak S. A. Faruque M. O. Alsheikh Z. Alsheikhmohamad L. Alkuroud D. Alfayez A. et al., A comprehensive review on conventional and biological-driven heavy metals removal from industrial wastewater. Environ. Adv. 2022;7:100168.

    2. . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765722000047

    1. Azimi A. Azari A. Rezakazemi M. Ansarpour M. Removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewaters: a review. ChemBioEng Rev. 2017;4(1):37–59.
    1. Kayani K. F. Mohammed S. J. Mustafa M. S. Aziz S. B. Dyes and their toxicity: removal from wastewater using carbon dots/metal oxides as hybrid materials: a review. Mater. Adv. 2025;6:5391–5409. doi: 10.1039/D5MA00572H. - DOI
    1. Anser M. K. Hanif I. Vo X. V. Alharthi M. The long-run and short-run influence of environmental pollution, energy consumption, and economic activities on health quality in emerging countries. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2020;27(26):32518–32532. - PubMed
    1. Yin K. Wang Q. Lv M. Chen L. Microorganism remediation strategies towards heavy metals. Chem. Eng. J. 2019;360:1553–1563.

LinkOut - more resources