Abstract
Background: Phenol is a prevalent pollutant found in many industrial wastewaters, and it is paid singular attention because of its special features like high toxicity, carcinogenic properties, and vital gathering ability that affects the health of humans and the environment. One of the most important technologies for the removal of phenol is the use of adsorbents. The current study investigated the removal of phenol from synthetic aqueous solutions using Citrullus colocynthis seed ash. Methods: This study is experimental and was conducted on a pilot scale. The efficiency of phenol removal by C. colocynthis seed ash was evaluated in a batch system, and different parameters such as initial concentration of phenol (10, 20, 50, and 80 mg/L), contact time (2, 5, 10, and 30 minutes), pH (2-12), adsorbent dose (0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 g/L), and temperature were studied. Excel software was used for data analysis. The adsorption process was modeled with Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms at controlled temperatures. Results: The results showed that the highest removal rate of phenol was obtained at a pH of 2 (83.4%), initial phenol concentration of 20 ppm (66.4%), adsorbent dose of 5 g/L (86.8%), and contact time of 10 minutes. The evaluation of correlation coefficients showed that the phenol adsorbed by C. colocynthis seed ash was in greater accordance with the Freundlich model than the Langmuir model. Conclusion: In general, the results of this study revealed that C. colocynthis seed ash has suitable potential for use in removing phenol from aqueous solutions on operation and practical scales due to its low cost and easy access. Keywords: Phenol, Adsorption, Citrullus colocynthis
Highlights
Phenol is one of the organic water pollutants with the chemical structure C6H5OH that occur because of industrialization (Figure 1) [1]
Chemical constituents of Citrullus colocynthis The presence of the following compounds has been proven in C. colocynthis seeds by phytochemical analysis: proteins = 13.99 ± 0.06%, crude fibers = 46.73 ± 0.15%, moisture = 6.43 ± 0.15%, α-tocopherol = 1.90 ± 0.020 g/100 g, and fixed oil = 17%-28.5% with a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (79.80%), mainly linoleic acid, oleic acid, a low percentage of saturated, total saturated 20.20%, and a very low level of n-3 poly-unsaturated FA (0.5%)
In the current study, it was observed that Citrullus colocynthis seed ash can be used effectively for the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions
Summary
Phenol is one of the organic water pollutants with the chemical structure C6H5OH that occur because of industrialization (Figure 1) [1]. The current study investigated the removal of phenol from synthetic aqueous solutions using Citrullus colocynthis seed ash. The efficiency of phenol removal by C. colocynthis seed ash was evaluated in a batch system, and different parameters such as initial concentration of phenol (10, 20, 50, and 80 mg/L), contact time (2, 5, 10, and 30 minutes), pH [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12], adsorbent dose (0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 g/L), and temperature were studied. Conclusion: In general, the results of this study revealed that C. colocynthis seed ash has suitable potential for use in removing phenol from aqueous solutions on operation and practical scales due to its low cost and easy access.
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