Activated carbon derived from macadamia nut shells: an effective adsorbent for phenol removal

Author(s)

Rodrigues, Liana Alvares ^[1] ; de Sousa Ribeiro, Loriane Aparecida ^[1] ; Thim, Gilmar Patrocinio ^[1] ; Ferreira, Rafael Reinaldo ^[2] ; Alvarez-Mendez, Manoel Orlando ^[2] ; Coutinho, Aparecido dos Reis ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Inst Tecnol Aeronaut ITA CTA, BR-12228900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Metodista Piracicaba, Lab Mat Carbonosos, BR-13450971 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF POROUS MATERIALS; v. 20, n. 4, p. 619-627, AUG 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 20

Abstract

In this study, activated carbon based on the waste macadamia nut shells (MAC) was investigated for potential use as an adsorbent for phenol removal. The pseudo second-order kinetic model best described the adsorption process. The extent of the phenol adsorption was affected by the pH solution and the adsorbent dosage. Equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 341 mg g(-1). The calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that the phenol adsorption onto MAC was physisorptive, spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Phenol desorption from loaded adsorbent was achieved by using 0.1 mol L-1 NaOH, ethanol (100 %) and deionized water. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/20153-0 - Study of catalytic process of carbon-TiO2 system obtained by sol-gel method excited by ultrasound
• Grantee: Gilmar Patrocínio Thim
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants