Phenol removal from aqueous environments by natural & chemically modified kaolin clay

Natural, acid and base modified kaolin clays were studied for the sake of phenol and 4-chlorophenol removal from aqueous environments and their application to real ground and industrial wastewater samples. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), and Surface area analysis were employed for characterization of the adsorbents microstructure. Operating factors such as adsorbent dose, solution pH, initial phenol concentration, and contact time were studied. The experimental data displayed that the increase of the adsorbent dose, contact time, and pH value from 2 to 7 increases the efficiency of the removal process. Optimal conditions for phenolic removal were; contact time of 300 min, primary phenol solution of 25 mg/L, pH 7 and 2.5 g/L as an appropriate adsorbent dose using crude (natural), acid modified and base modified kaolin clays. The higher phenolic removal efficiencies were obtained at 5 mg/L as 90, 97, 96.2%, respectively, for the adsorbents in the previously mentioned order. The adsorption capacity in the removal of phenol and 4-chlorophenol were 7.481 and 4.195, 8.2942 and 3.211, and 8.05185 and 18.565 mg/g, respectively, for the adsorbents in the same mentioned order. The adsorption equilibrium data were fitted and analyzed with four isotherm models, namely, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm equations. The adsorption process of phenol on studied adsorbents was exothermic, spontaneous and thermodynamically favorable proved by the negative values of their thermodynamic parameters ΔH° and ΔG°. The correlation coefficient (R²) for all concentrations was higher than 0.94, which indicates that in the studied system, the data suitably fit the first-order kinetics. The % desorption capacity was amounted to 96%, 91.11%, and 87.06% of adsorbed phenol, respectively, for the adsorbents in the previous order using 0.1N NaOH and 10% V/V ethanol solutions as eluents at 25°C, indicating the reusability of the adsorbents. Kaolin and its modified forms can be introduced as eco-friendly and low-cost adsorbents in water remediation implementation.