A novel approach to characterizing liquid-phase adsorption on highly porous activated carbons using the Toth equation

Keng Tung Wu, Pin Hsueh Wu, Feng Chin Wu, Ru Ling Jreng*, Ruey Shin Juang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The adsorption properties of activated carbons prepared by treating a densified refuse-derived fuel by KOH activation were studied. At a low KOH/char ratio of 2, the carbons exhibited a BET surface area up to 1655m2g-1 and contain both micropores and mesopores. The studied carbons showed excellent adsorption capability for 4-chlorophenol, methylene blue, and the dye acid blue 74. For example, the adsorption capacities of 4-chlorophenol, methylene blue, and acid blue 74 on the carbons prepared at a KOH/char ratio of 3 were 494, 571, and 413gkg-1, respectively. A linear fit using the Toth equation of the present data along with data for 38 other adsorption systems reported in the literature was used to characterize liquid-phase adsorption. It was found that the exponent T of the Toth equation can represent the degree of heterogeneous adsorption. The adsorption of small molar-mass solutes (e.g., 4-chlorophenol) occurs on quasi-homogenous surfaces (T∼1), whereas the adsorption of larger molar-mass solutes (e.g., acid blue 74) appears to occur on heterogeneous surfaces (T<0.34).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)373-381
Number of pages9
JournalChemical Engineering Journal
Volume221
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Activated carbons
  • KOH activation
  • Liquid-phase adsorption
  • Refuse derived fuel
  • Toth equation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A novel approach to characterizing liquid-phase adsorption on highly porous activated carbons using the Toth equation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this