A comparative study on metal organic frameworks for indoor environment application: Adsorption evaluation

- Three metal organic frameworks, MIL-101, MIL-53 and CPM-5, are used for VOCs adsorption.
- Adsorption isotherms and TGA indicates the physisorption of toluene and isobutanol on these MOFs.
- In dry air, MIL-101 shows the highest adsorption capacity for one ppm of toluene and isobutanol.
- At 30% relative humidity, MIL-53 demonstrates the highest adsorption capacity of toluene.
- CPM-5 shows the least adsorption capacity for toluene and isobutanol in both dry and humid air.

In this study, three metal organic frameworks (MOFs), MIL-101, MIL-53 and CPM-5 are synthesized and characterized. Adsorption isotherms and breakthrough behaviors of these MOFs are studied for two volatile organic compounds: toluene and isobutanol. Also, the effect of the presence of relative humidity on the adsorption capacity of one (1) ppm toluene and isobutanol on each MOF is investigated. Results demonstrate a superior capacity of MIL-101 for adsorption of these organic compounds in dry air. The presence of relative humidity (30%), however, decreases this adsorption capacity by 80%. MIL-53 shows the highest adsorption capacity of toluene and isobutanol at this level of humidity, while CPM-5 shows the least adsorption capacity for both toluene and isobutanol at both dry and humid air.