DOI 10.35776/VST.2021.06.05
УДК 628.16.081.32

Ahmed Sameh Abdelfattah Araby, Gogina Elena

Phenol adsorption on industrial activated carbon: evaluation of efficiency

Summary

The adsorption of phenol on activated carbon is considered one of the most efficient wastewater treatment systems. In this regard, the effectiveness of two Russian manufactured industrial activated carbon types in removing phenol from wastewater has been studied. The samples included powdered activated carbon (made from birch charcoal) and crushed activated carbon (made from coconut shells). The study was carried out under the conditions of pH variation and the effect of contact time and different initial concentrations of phenol on the adsorption process. The study was further expanded to clarify the adsorption kinetics and the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm model. The results showed that activated carbon retained the maximum adsorption capacity over a wide pH range of 2 to 9. This fact proves the usability of coal for removing phenol from various wastewater types. The adsorption mechanism using both activated carbon samples followed the pseudo-second order and corresponded to the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity was 185.19 and 172.41 mg/g for powdered and crushed coal, respectively, suggesting a high efficiency of phenol removal from wastewater.

Key words

wastewater , phenols , adsorption , activated carbon , adsorption kinetics and isotherms