1.

2 PROBLEM STATEMENTS

The use of various methods for removing herbicides from water is indeed a common practice.
Among these methods, adsorption has been recognized as a practical and cost-effective
approach. It offers advantages such as convenience for recycling, availability, and ease of
operation compared to other techniques. Adsorption involves the attachment of herbicide
molecules onto a solid surface, thereby removing them from the water. Metal-organic
frameworks (MOFs) have gained attention as potential adsorbents due to their high surface
area and large pore size. MOFs are porous crystalline materials that can be used as host
materials for other compounds, such as ionic liquids (ILs). The impregnation of ILs into
MOFs creates a hybrid material with enhanced adsorption properties. UiO-66-NH2/[Ch][Ala]
is an example of such a hybrid material that holds promise for achieving excellent adsorption
performance and enhanced stability. Traditionally, adsorption studies have relied on the one-
factor-at-a-time approach, where one parameter is varied while keeping others constant.
However, this method overlooks the potential synergistic interactions among different
parameters active at the same time. Consequently, it often requires numerous trials and errors
during the batch process, resulting in increased costs and time consumption. To address this
limitation, the response surface methodology (RSM) can be employed. RSM is a statistical
modelling technique that allows for the exploration of multivariate interactions in a
systematic manner, reducing the number of experimental runs required for prediction and
validation. By using RSM, researchers can optimize the adsorption process more efficiently
and effectively, leading to improved cost-effectiveness and time savings.