Removal of chlorophenols from aquatic systems with dye-affinity microbeads

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of removal of phenol from aqueous solution using surface engineered chemistry

Iron impregnated activated carbon has been used as a new adsorbent for the adsorptive removal of phenol from waste water. Impregnation of iron was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Different parameters affecting the adsorption capacity of Iron impregnated activated carbon such as Iron impregnated activated carbon dosage, contact time, pH of solution, initial concentration of phenol and agitation speed were optimized. The residual concentration of phenol was determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Maximum adsorption efficiency was calculated 98.5% at optimized parameters: concentration of phenol 25 mg L⁻¹, Iron impregnated activated carbon dose 75 mg, pH 7.0 and agitation time 90 min. The experimental data was fitted to different adsorption isotherms and adsorption capacities obtained were 20 and 15 mg g⁻¹, respectively. Adsorption energy was found to be 1.54 kJ mol⁻¹ which predicts that phenol was adsorbed onto the Iron impregnated activated carbon through physisorption.

Use of non-living lyophilized Phanerochaete chrysosporium cultivated in various media for phenol removal

The biosorption of phenol on non-living lyophilized mycelial pellets of Phanerochaete chrysosporium cultivated in liquid medium of various compositions was studied in batch biosorption system. The fungal cell surfaces were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and specific surface charge determination. The sorption kinetics and equilibrium were evaluated using linear and non-linear regression. For adsorption equilibrium, a comparative evaluation is also presented using non-linear least-square estimation and linearization of the Langmuir and anti-Langmuir equations. The presence of mineral and vitamin materials in the liquid medium enhanced the adsorption capacity of fungal biomass for phenol. At optimum pH 5-6, the values of specific surface charge were 0.023 and 0.069 meq g^-1 for various cultivations, and the maximum amounts of phenol can be adsorbed at these pH values. The maximum adsorbed phenol amounts by cells cultivated in simple and complex media were 4.53 and 13.48 mg g^-1, respectively, at an initial phenol concentration of 100 mg l^-1. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Targeted removal of trichlorophenol in water by oleic acid-coated nanoscale palladium/zero-valent iron alginate beads

A new material was developed and evaluated for the targeted removal of trichlorophenol (TCP) from among potential interferents which are known to degrade removal activity. To achieve TCP-targeted activity, an alginate bead containing nanoscale palladium/zero-valent iron (Pd/nZVI) was coated with a highly hydrophobic oleic acid layer. The new material (Pd/nZVI-A-O) preferentially sorbed TCP from a mixture of chlorinated phenols into the oleic acid cover layer and subsequently dechlorinated it to phenol. The removal efficacy of TCP by Pd/nZVI-A-O was not affected by co-existing organic substances such as Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA), whereas the material without the oleic acid layer (Pd/nZVI-A) became less effective with increasing SRHA concentration. The inorganic substances nitrate and phosphate significantly reduced the reactivity of Pd/nZVI-A, however, Pd/nZVI-A-O showed similar TCP removal efficacies regardless of the initial inorganic ion concentrations. The influence of bicarbonate on the TCP removal efficacies of both Pd/nZVI-A and Pd/nZVI-A-O was not significant. The findings from this study suggest that Pd/nZVI-A-O, with its targeted, constant reactivity for TCP, would be effective for treating this contaminant in surface water or groundwater containing various competitive substrates.

Mesoporous silicas: improving the adsorption efficiency of phenolic compounds by the removal of amino group from functionalized silicas

Removal of the amine template enhances the sorption of phenolic pollutants. The sorption capacity could be dependent of the pore size.

Individual and competitive adsorption of phenol and nickel onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Individual and competitive adsorption studies were carried out to investigate the removal of phenol and nickel ions by adsorption onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The carbon nanotubes were characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. The different experimental conditions affecting the adsorption process were investigated. Kinetics and equilibrium models were tested for fitting the adsorption experimental data. The characterization experimental results proved that the studied adsorbent possess different surface functional groups as well as typical morphological features. The batch experiments revealed that 300 min of contact time was enough to achieve equilibrium for the adsorption of both phenol and nickel at an initial adsorbate concentration of 25 mg/l, an adsorbent dosage of 5 g/l, and a solution pH of 7. The adsorption of phenol and nickel by MWCNTs followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the intraparticle diffusion model was quite good in describing the adsorption mechanism. The Langmuir equilibrium model fitted well the experimental data indicating the homogeneity of the adsorbent surface sites. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities were found to be 32.23 and 6.09 mg/g, for phenol and Ni ions, respectively. The removal efficiency of MWCNTs for nickel ions or phenol in real wastewater samples at the optimum conditions reached up to 60% and 70%, respectively.

Molecular imprinted polymer of methacrylic acid functionalised β-cyclodextrin for selective removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol

This work describes methacrylic acid functionalized β-cyclodextrin (MAA-βCD) as a novel functional monomer in the preparation of molecular imprinted polymer (MIP MAA-βCD) for the selective removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). The polymer was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) techniques. The influence of parameters such as solution pH, contact time, temperature and initial concentrations towards removal of 2,4-DCP using MIP MAA-βCD have been evaluated. The imprinted material shows fast kinetics and the optimum pH for removal of 2,4-DCP is pH 7. Compared with the corresponding non-imprinted polymer (NIP MAA-βCD), the MIP MAA-βCD exhibited higher adsorption capacity and outstanding selectivity towards 2,4-DCP. Freundlich isotherm best fitted the adsorption equilibrium data of MIP MAA-βCD and the kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that adsorption of 2,4-DCP was spontaneous and exothermic under the examined conditions.

Arsenic removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto iron oxide/activated carbon magnetic composite

In this work the adsorption features of activated carbon and the magnetic properties of iron oxides were combined in a composite to produce magnetic adsorbent. Batch experiments were conducted to study the adsorption behavior of arsenate onto the synthetic magnetic adsorbent. The effects of initial solution pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and co-existing anionic component on the adsorption of arsenate were investigated. The results showed that the removal percentage of arsenate could be over 95% in the conditions of adsorbent dosage 5.0 g/L, initial solution pH 3.0-8.0, and contact time 1 h. Under the experimental conditions, phosphate and silicate caused greater decrease in arsenate removal percentage among the anions, and sulfate had almost no effect on the adsorption of arsenate. Kinetics study showed that the overall adsorption rate of arsenate was illustrated by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The applicability of the Langmuir and Freundlich models for the arsenate adsorption data was tested. Both the models adequately describe the experimental data. Moreover, the magnetic composite adsorbent could be easily recovered from the medium by an external magnetic field. It can therefore be potentially applied for the treatment of water contaminated by arsenate.

Comparison between the removal of phenol and catechol by modified montmorillonite with two novel hydroxyl-containing Gemini surfactants

Na-montmorillonites were modified with two novel hydroxyl-containing Gemini surfactants, 1,3-bis(hexadecyldimethylammonio)-2-hydroxypropane dichloride (BHHP) and 1,3-bis(octyldimethylammonio)-2-hydroxypropane dichloride (BOHP), via ion-exchange reaction in this study. The modified samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Phenol and catechol were removed from aqueous solution by these two kinds of organo-montmorillonites in a batch system. Important parameters have been investigated, which affect the adsorption efficiency, such as the amount of modifier, temperature, pH and contact time. The adsorption kinetics of phenol and catechol were discussed using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion model. It indicated that the experimental data fitted very well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the equilibrium adsorption data was proved in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm. The result also showed the adsorption capacity of catechol was higher than that of phenol in the same conditions, which might result from the extra hydroxyl in the structure of catechol. Thermodynamic quantities such as Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), the enthalpy (ΔH°), and the entropy change of sorption (ΔS°) were also determined. These parameters suggested the adsorption of phenol was a spontaneous and exothermic process, while the sorption of catechol was endothermic.

Surface core–shell magnetic polymer modified graphene oxide-based material for 2,4,6-trichlorophenol removal

A novel well-designed graphene oxide-based magnetic polymer (GO-Fe₃O₄@P) has been successfully synthesizedviadistillation–precipitation polymerization, ring-opening and amidation reactions and showed good adsorption capacity to 2,4,6-TCP.

The removal of phenol from aqueous solutions by adsorption using surfactant-modified bentonite and kaolinite

The natural bentonite (BC) and kaolinite (KC) were modified with two surfactant of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) and phenyltrimethylammonium bromide (PTMA) to form four kinds of organic-modified clays, i.e., HDTMA-bentonite (BHM), HDTMA-kaolinite (KHM), PTMA-bentonite (KPM) and PTMA-kaolinite (KPM). The modified minerals were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR spectroscopy. The surface areas were determined using methylene blue adsorption method. Cation-exchange capacity (CEC) was estimated using an ethylenediamine complex of copper method and the modifier loading was calculated from the total carbon analysis. The ability of raw and organo-modified clays to remove phenol from aqueous solutions has been carried out as a function of contact time, pH and temperatures using a batch technique. The removal of phenol from aqueous solutions by modified clays seems to be more effective than unmodified samples. The adsorption capacity was found to increase with increasing temperature indication that the adsorptions were endothermic. The adsorption of phenol onto these clays was found to be increased by increasing of pH value and the adsorption patterns data are correlated well by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and that the adsorption is physical in nature. The experimental data fitted very well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic study of adsorption process showed that the adsorption of phenol with these six adsorbents was carried out spontaneously, and the process was endothermic in nature.

Adsorption of phenol and its derivatives from water using synthetic resins and low-cost natural adsorbents: a review

In this article, the technical feasibility of the use of activated carbon, synthetic resins, and various low-cost natural adsorbents for the removal of phenol and its derivatives from contaminated water has been reviewed. Instead of using commercial activated carbon and synthetic resins, researchers have worked on inexpensive materials such as coal fly ash, sludge, biomass, zeolites, and other adsorbents, which have high adsorption capacity and are locally available. The comparison of their removal performance with that of activated carbon and synthetic resins is presented in this study. From our survey of about 100 papers, low-cost adsorbents have demonstrated outstanding removal capabilities for phenol and its derivatives compared to activated carbons. Adsorbents that stand out for high adsorption capacities are coal-reject, residual coal treated with H3PO4, dried activated sludge, red mud, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified montmorillonite. Of these synthetic resins, HiSiv 1000 and IRA-420 display high adsorption capacity of phenol and XAD-4 has good adsorption capability for 2-nitrophenol. These polymeric adsorbents are suitable for industrial effluents containing phenol and its derivatives as mentioned previously. It should be noted that the adsorption capacities of the adsorbents presented here vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the individual adsorbent, the extent of chemical modifications, and the concentrations of solutes.

Characteristics of phenol and chlorinated phenols sorption onto surfactant-modified bentonite

Surfactant-modified bentonite was synthesized by replacing adsorbed Na+ with long-chain alkyl quaternary ammonium cation, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMAB). The sorption isotherms of phenol, p-chlorophenol, and 2,4-dichlorophenol were modeled according to the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The Langmuir isotherm was found to describe the equilibrium adsorption data well. The mechanisms and characteristics of sorption of these ionizable organic contaminants onto surfactant-modified bentonite from water were investigated systematically and described quantitatively. The sorption properties are affected by the treatment conditions, such as amount of organobentonite, and the properties of organic compounds. Results indicated that adsorption of phenols from water was in proportion to their hydrophobicities, which increased with chlorine addition (phenol<p-chlorophenol<2,4-dichlorophenol). Sorption isotherms of these phenols were typically nonlinear. Both adsorption and partition contribute to the sorption of investigated phenols to organobentonite. The separate contributions of adsorption and partition to the total sorption of these compounds to organobentonite is analyzed mathematically. Results indicate that the partition effect is weak and linear with contaminant concentration, whereas the adsorption effect is more powerful and nonlinear with contaminant concentration. The sorption of phenols onto organobentonite was dominated by adsorption at low concentrations and partition started to dominate at high concentrations, making the organobentonites powerful sorbents for organic contaminants over a wide range of concentrations.