Catalytic reduction of nitrophenols and dyes by HKUST-1/hydrogel composite.

The effective removal of nitrophenols from wastewater is crucial due to their high carcinogenic risk. This research presents the development of a copper-based metal-organic framework (HKUST-1) integrated into a chitosan--poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel. The hydrogel composite was evaluated as a catalyst for reducing nitrophenols and dyes using sodium borohydride (NaBH) as a reducing agent.