Revolutionizing Wastewater Treatment: Harnessing Metal–Organic Frameworks for Exceptional Photocatalytic Degradation of Azo-Type Dyes

Due to the high stability of azo-type dyes, conventional treatment processes such as adsorption, flocculation, and activated sludge are not efficient for decolorizing wastewater effluents. An alternative to traditional wastewater treatment is photocatalysis, which has gained significant interest because research has shown it to be a viable and cost-effective process that uses sunlight as an inexhaustible energy source. In heterogeneous photocatalysis, a photocatalyst is required, such as TiO2, ZnO, composite materials, and, more recently, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs, also known as “coordination polymers”, exhibit photocatalytic properties and have been proven to be promising materials in the photocatalytic degradation of dyes. This study presents recent advances in using MOFs as photocatalysts to degrade recalcitrant contaminants like azo-type dyes. Recent advancements in developing photocatalysts based on MOFs are focused on two strategies. Firstly, the development of new MOFs composed of complex ligands or a mixed ligand system, and secondly, the synthesis of composite materials based on MOFs and metal oxides, metals, sulfides, nitrides, etc. Both strategies have significantly contributed to the search for new semiconductors to degrade some recalcitrate contaminants in wastewater.