Abstract
Despite its widespread use in many industrial applications, phenol is a hazardous pollutant that needs proper treatment before its discharge into the environment. Herein, a new activated carbon (AC) from Atlas oak wood was reported as adsorbent for phenol removal from aqueous solutions. The charcoal was activated with different acidic and basic solutions and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements to determine the structural and textural properties of the solids. The iodine number test and the pH at zero charge point were also determined and discussed. Its iodine number test and pH at zero charge point were also determined and discussed. Then, the phenol adsorption capacity of prepared activated carbons was evaluated under several operating conditions. The H3PO4-activated carbon had the highest adsorption capacity, which outperformed that of a commercially activated carbon. Optimum results were achieved at 2 h equilibrium time, a mass of adsorbent of 100 mg, and an initial concentration of 10(-2) mol/L at a pH = 4. The phenol elimination using acid-treated carbons gave extraction yields up to 98.77%, higher than that of the commercially activated carbon (91.48%) and base-treated carbons that showed unfavorable adsorption. An adsorbed quantity of the phenol of the order with a yield of 99% for the carbon was activated by H3PO4. The adsorption of phenol on activated carbon followed the second-order rate equation and Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. However, it should be noted that the adsorbed amount by activated carbon using H3PO4 (Q(m) = 250 mg/g) exceeds that adsorbed by commercial carbon (Q(m) = 200 mg/g). Outcomes of this work can open a gate for the development of efficient natural-based adsorbents for the removal of pollutants from wastewater.