Use of Zinc‐Gallic Acid Metal–Organic Framework for Remediation of Wastewater and Improvement of Physiological and Antioxidant Activities in Triticum aestivum

Industrial wastewater has emerged as a significant environmental issue due to its adverse effect on plant growth, soil, and other living organisms. Crops near cities are frequently irrigated using wastewater under conditions of water scarcity. Wastewater needs to be treated effectively so that it can be reused to irrigate agricultural land. In recent years, attention has been given to biogenic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) due to their unique properties and possible applications, like wastewater treatment, soil remediation, crop enhancement, fertilizer delivery, and biosensing. This study evaluated the potential of biogenic Zn-MOF for treating wastewater and the utilization of treated wastewater to enhance wheat growth, photosynthetic pigments, and physicochemical parameters. In the present study, biogenic Zn-MOF was synthesized and characterized via SEM, XRD, and FTIR techniques. The findings indicated that Zn-MOF reduced the quantity of pollutants in wastewater, and the removal efficiencies of 58% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 65% of sulfate, and 50% of phosphate were observed. Results revealed that treated wastewater increased growth, enzymatic antioxidative activities, nonenzymatic antioxidants, and zinc uptake concentration by 51%, 41%, 36%, and 35%, respectively. In addition, the treated wastewater reduced oxidative stress by 33%. It is concluded that the unique features of metal-organic frameworks make them the best choice for both wastewater treatment and enhancing growth, photosynthetic pigment, and antioxidant attributes of wheat under wastewater stress conditions.