Overall
- Language
- English
- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received May 15, 2025
Revised July 18, 2025
Accepted July 31, 2025
Available online December 25, 2025
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Most Cited
Upcycling PET Waste into High‑Performance Metal–Organic Frameworks: Sustainable Synthesis of MIL‑53(Al) for Gas Separation and Storage
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-025-00538-6
Abstract
This study investigates the potential of upcycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into high-valuable functional
materials, specifically focusing on the synthesis of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Terephthalic acid (TPA), obtained
through acidic hydrolysis of post-consumer PET waste, was utilized as an organic linker to synthesize MIL-53(Al)-R, a
well-known aluminum-based MOF. The synthesized MIL-53(Al)-R exhibits the same crystal structure, morphology, and
porosity as conventional MIL-53(Al)-C, with gas adsorption performance comparable to existing literature values. These
findings validate the feasibility of using recycled PET as a viable feedstock for MOF production and highlight the potential
of waste-derived MIL-53(Al)-R as an eco-friendly adsorbent for gas separation and storage applications. The study not
only underscores the functional performance of MIL-53(Al)-R but also promotes a sustainable strategy for plastic waste
valorization. By transforming environmental pollutants into high-performance materials, this work supports green chemistry
initiatives and contributes to the development of circular economy approaches in materials science and chemical engineering.
