Abstract
The adsorption capacity of sewage sludge based adsorbent (SSBA) for the removal of 2-chlorophenol (2- CP) from aqueous solutions, was considered in the present study. SSBA was prepared by chemical activation with H2SO4 in a mass ratio of 1:1, followed by a pyrolysis at 650 °C for 1 h under inert atmosphere. The produced adsorbent was characterized in terms of the specific surface area, the pH at zero charge point (pHPZC) and the surface functional groups. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out under different conditions including the adsorbent dose, the contact time, the initial 2-CP concentration, the solution pH and the ionic strength, in order to investigate their effects on the retention capacity of the solid support. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were tested to examine the adsorptionbehavior. The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Freundlich model. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of SSBA was found to be 47.98 mg.g-1 at 20 °C. Finally the kinetic studies indicated that adsorption process followed the pseudo second-order model. In conclusion SSBA showed quite goodcapabilities in removing 2-CP from aqueous solutions.
