Extraction of phenols from aqueous solutions by β-cyclodextrin polymers. Comparison of sorptive capacities with other sorbents

The removal of phenols from aqueous solutions by crosslinked β-cyclodextrin polymers has been studied. For cresols, the position of the methyl group influences the interaction with cyclodextrin polymers crosslinked with epichlorohydrin, being p-cresol the most adsorbed one. The isosteric heat of adsorption is almost constant with the surface coverage in the case of phenol, but varies for the cresols. When compared with other typical sorbents used to extract phenol from water (activated carbon, the macroporous resin Lewatit OC 1064, and calcium alginate), cyclodextrin polymers crosslinked with different reagents (epichlorohydrin, succinyl chloride and two diisocyanates) show high sorption capacities, especially at high phenol concentrations.