Efficiency in Phenol Removal from Aqueous Solutions of Pomegranate Peel Ash as a Natural Adsorbent
Environmental Health Engineering and Management Journal 2016; 3(1): 41–46
6 Pages Posted: 10 Jul 2017
Date Written: March 13, 2016
Abstract
Background: Phenol is an organic pollutant found in industrial effluents that is very toxic to humans and the environment. This study used pomegranate peel ash as a natural absorbent to remove phenol from aqueous solutions.
Methods: In this study, pomegranate peel ash in different doses was used as a new adsorbent for the removal of phenol. The effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dose and initial phenol concentration were recorded. Then, the adsorption data was described with Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms; Excel software was used for data analysis.
Results: The highest percentage of phenol adsorption was observed at pH = 7. The optimum amount of adsorbent was 0.6 g/l, and after 120 minutes, the process reached an equilibrium state. The adsorption of phenol decreased following an increase in the pH of the solution. It was also observed that contact time significantly affected the rate of phenol adsorption. The experimental data fit much better in the Freundlich (R2 = 0.9056) model than in the Langmuir (R2 = 0.8674) model.
Conclusion: Pomegranate peel ash has the potential to be utilized for the cost-effective removal of phenol from aqueous solutions.
Keywords: Phenol removal, Pomegranate peel ash, Aqueous solution
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