Haloxylon Activated Carbon; a Novel Absorbent to Remove Phenol from Aqueous Solutions

Aims Even low concentrations of phenol in industrial waste can cause many difficulties for theaquatic environment. So removal of this organic matter is an important issue. the adsorptionprocess, is one of the most effective methods for isolation and purification of Phenols. Theaim of this study was to introduce wood haloxylon as a natural and new absorbent to removephenol from aqueous solutions.Instrument & Methods Experiments were carried out in laboratory scale to evaluate theeffect of important variables such as initial pH (4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9), the initial concentrationof phenol (100, 50 and 150mg/l), adsorbent dosage (0.5, 1 and 2g/l) and reaction time (20,40 and 60min). The concentration of phenol was measured by the photometric method atwavelengths of 500nm.Findings The highest efficiency was recorded at pH=7 and at a rate of 45.2% and after it theremoval efficiency dropped. The maximum adsorption of phenol happened in the first 20minutes (35.8%) and after that, it was absorbed more slowly and took 60 minutes (45.2%)to reach the equilibrium. By increasing the concentration of phenol from 50 to 150mg/l, theremoval of phenol reduced from 45.2 to 30.6% and the absorptive capacity increased of from1.1 to 2.3mg/g. By increasing the adsorbent dosage from 0.5 to 2g/l, the removal of phenolincreased from 19.1 to 45.2% and the absorptive capacity decreased from 1.9 to 1.1mg/g.Conclusion HTAC, in optimum conditions, can be used for pre-treatment of aqueous solutioncontaining phenol.

کلیدواژه ها:

Phenol ، Adsorption ، Activated Carbon ، Haloxylon