Adsorptive removal of humic acid from aqueous solution by micro- and mesoporous covalent triazine-based framework

The presence of humic acid (HA) in aquatic environments causes potential human health and biological instability. We synthesized micro- and mesoporous covalent triazine-based framework (CTF) and further conducted batch experiments to systematically examine its adsorption properties toward HA. The adsorbent was characterized by a variety of experimental and spectroscopic techniques with respect to structural, porosity and surface characteristics. Additionally, the mesoporous CTF showed faster adsorption kinetics of HA, which was attributed to its shaped, open and wide pore size distribution. Findings of the present work highlight the potential of using synthesized mesoporous CTF as promising adsorbent for the removal of HA, particularly for the bulky molecular compounds, from aqueous solution. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.