In the field of wastewater treatment and environmental remediation, tried and true materials such as the hydrophilic polymer, polyacrylamide (PAM), are taking a backseat to emerging technologies like metal organic frameworks (MOFs), whose ultrahigh porosity and surface area make them a very exciting and attractive subject matter. However, there’s still much that isn’t known about how PAM interacts with major constituents of the environment, one of which is humic acid (HA), such interactions ultimately determine PAM’s behavior, transport, and remediation performance. Having a clearer picture of the interactions between PAM and HA is important because it can help optimize wastewater treatment and agricultural operations, as well as influence the development of efficient technologies in those industries. In this thesis work the fundamental molecular interactions between PAM and HA were determined to better understand the role and evolution of PAM in the environment. PAM was found to not have a strong affinity for HA and low adsorption capacities. The low performance of PAM gels, as predicted by the interaction studies, was then addressed by the integration of a metal organic framework (Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework 8, ZIF-8) into the gel matrix. The composite PAM-ZIF-8 hydrogel demonstrated good adsorption capacities compared to pure PAM hydrogels, and easy handling and application compared to pure ZIF-8 powder. The results of this work show that the PAM-ZIF-8 composite is a promising new material for the treatment of polluted waters that may be further developed and improved. The thesis demonstrates how a fundamental understanding of the inter-molecular and surface interactions of environmentally complex systems can be obtained at a micro and macroscopic scale, and further used to provide scientific guidance on the development of novel materials/devices for wastewater remediation.