The increasing presence of pesticide residues in aquatic environments poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health, necessitating the development of effective removal technologies. In this study, Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) was investigated as adsorbent for Linuron, a widely used herbicide. The material was synthesized via a hydrothermal method and underwent thorough physico-chemical characterization, confirming its intrinsic properties. Adsorption experiments were conducted under systematically varied conditions using a Central Composite Face-Centered (CFC) experimental design, evaluating the effects of temperature, Linuron concentration, ionic strength on adsorption efficiency. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) revealed that temperature and Linuron concentration were the most influential variables. A quadratic effect of ionic strength and a significant interaction between Linuron concentration and ionic strength were also observed. The fitted quadratic regression model exhibited excellent predictive performance (R² = 0.909; Q² = 0.755), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed its significance (p < 0.001) with a non-significant lack of fit. Maximum Linuron removal (>95%) was achieved at elevated temperature, moderate concentration, and intermediate ionic strength. These findings highlight the potential of ZIF-8 as a tunable and high-efficiency adsorbent for the remediation of pesticide-contaminated water, demonstrating the value of RSM-based optimization in designing adsorption processes.

The aim of this article is to use zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as drug delivery system for lidocaine, a local anesthetic with recently discovered antitumoral effects, in particular for the early‐stage treatment of breast cancer. A previously optimized ZIF‐8 synthetic method is employed, and the prepared material is deeply characterized with X‐ray powder diffraction (XRPD), surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). After confirming the successful synthetic outcomes, a tailored loading procedure is developed to incorporate lidocaine within the ZIF‐8 pores. The effectiveness of this loading process is verified using UV–Vis spectroscopy and TGA, while SEM and attenuated total reflectance‐mid infrared spectroscopy further confirms the presence of lidocaine within the MOF pores. Afterwards, the pH‐responsive drug release by dialyzing the lidocaine@ZIF‐8 sample is tested either at physiological or at weakly acid pH values by UV spectroscopy on the dialysis solutions. Finally, the MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells viability of lidocaine@ZIF‐8 system is tested and compared with the free drug and the MOF alone, confirming its significant capabilities in the reduction of cells viability.