The Adsorption of Phenol by Lignite Activated Carbon

The feasibility and adsorption effect of lignite activated carbon for phenol removal from aqueous solutions were evaluated and investigated. A series of tests were performed to look into the influence of various experimental parameters such as contact time, initial phenol concentration, temperature, and pH value on the adsorption of phenol by lignite activated carbon. The experimental data were fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption is an endothermic process and conforms to Freundlich thermodynamic model. The results indicate that the lignite activated carbon is suitable to be used as an adsorbent material for adsorption of phenol from aqueous solutions.