Ferrocene-based metal-organic frameworks with dual synergistic active sites for selectively electrochemical removal of arsenic from contaminated water.

• A Fc-based metal-organic framework (Fe-DFc) with dual synergistic sites was prepared. • The Fe-O 6 moiety in Fe-DFc exhibited high selectivity for As(Ⅲ) over competing ions. • The Fc moiety in Fe-DFc promoted the conversion of As(Ⅲ) to less toxicity As(Ⅴ). • The synergy of the two moieties in Fe-DFc removed As(Ⅲ) with low energy consumption. • The system based on Fe-DFc effectively removed As(Ⅲ) from actual bore water. The effective removal of trace levels of the highly toxic arsenite (As(Ⅲ)) from groundwater is crucial to address the threat to drinking water supply. Herein, we developed an electrochemical separation system utilizing redox-active ferrocene-based metal-organic frameworks (termed Fe-DFc) for selective removal of As(III). This system leveraged 1,1′-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid as a ligand coordinated with iron, enabling the highly selective capture and conversion of As(III) from groundwater. The Fe-DFc electrode-based electrochemical system not only effectively removed As(III) even in the presence of a 1250-fold excess of competing electrolytes, but also converted about 96 % of the adsorbed As(III) into the less toxic As(V), surpassing the results of those documented in the current literature. X-ray absorption fine structure analysis and density functional theory calculations demonstrated that the high selectivity of Fe-O 6 moiety and the exceptional redox activity of Fc synergistically contributed to the efficient removal of As(III). Moreover, the electrochemical separation system enabled the remediation of arsenic-contaminated groundwater at a low energy cost of 0.033 kWh m −3 during long-term operation, highlighting the application potential of the electrochemical technology for arsenic removal from contaminated water. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]