Removal of Herbicide from Aqueous Solution Using Granular Activated Carbon: Equilibrium Data and Process Design

Abstract

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) herbicide is a widely utilized herbicide known to be moderately toxic, have extensive use, poor biodegradability, and h led to contamination of surface and ground waters. The Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) was characterized by its porosity, surface morphology, and availability of functional groups. Type I isotherm was observed in the GAC, indicating microporosity with specific a surface area of 832.35 m²/g and pore diameter of 0.899 nm. GAC was evaluated for its ability to adsorb herbicide 2,4-D as the model adsorbate and evaluated the effects of initial concentration, contact time, pH, and activated carbon dosage on the adsorption process. According to the results, 94.01 %, 97.17%, 97.76 %, 98.15%, and 98.2 % of the adsorptive removal were achieved at initial concentrations of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mg/l, respectively. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to analyze the adsorption isotherm. It was determined that 2,4-D had a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 20.28 mg/g for GAC. Freundlich isotherm model predicted uniform binding energy distribution over heterogeneous surface binding sites for the best fit. The Freundlich model was used to design a batch adsorber capable of removing 2,4-D from effluent solutions of different volumes using the required mass of GAC. Resulting of the achieved results, GAC is a highly effective adsorbent for the removal of 2,4-D from aqueous environments.