•Synthesised and characterised UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2, MIL-125 and MIL-125-NH2 MOFs.•Demonstrated 100 % NOx removal efficiency under UV light with NH2-functionalized MOFs.•Proposed a NOX removal two stages mechanism based in adsorption and photooxidation.•Achieved MOF immobilization in alginate/carrageenan for sustainable air filtration.•Immobilisation into Membrane maintains MOF's ability to remove NOX from air. In the population increase and growing industrialization framework, NOx (NO and NO2) arises among the most important air pollutants responsible for various health and environmental conditions. Metal-organic frameworks, MOFs, are promising materials for NOx remediation. This study investigates the removal of nitrogen oxides (NOx) using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2, MIL-125, and MIL-125-NH2 were synthesized and characterized. The surface area of the MOFs was quantified, showing values like 1118 m2/g for UiO-66-NH2 and 1424 m2/g for MIL-125-NH2. The NOx removal efficiency using the NH2 functionalized MOFs reached 100 % efficiency under UV light. Moreover, the immobilization of MIL-125-NH2 in carrageenan/alginate matrices was investigated, maintaining significant NOx reduction capabilities ∼ 80 %. This work also emphasizes the potential of MOFs by combining adsorptive and photocatalytic properties, providing insights into NOx capture and transformation mechanisms, and proposing a viable approach for sustainable air remediation technologies. This work paves the way for the successful applications of MOFs and MOF-modified membranes for air pollution mitigation.