Novel high performance magnetic activated carbon for phenol removal: equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics

A series of novel iron oxide based magnetic activated carbons (MAC) were fabricated through simple one-step method from Pomelo Peel using hydrochloric acid pickling water as chemical activation agent and iron oxide precursor. The characterizing results show that the MAC prepared through physiochemical activation at 973 K has a relative high surface area of 760 m(2)/g and can be fast separated from water under a moderate magnetic field. Batch adsorptions of phenol onto the MAC were investigated for its equilibrium, the kinetic modeling and thermodynamics. Equilibrium data were best described by Langmuir model, and the estimated maximum adsorption capacity of the MAC-973 was up to 1.1 x 10(2) mg/g at 298 K. Chemical reaction was found to be a rate-controlling parameter to this phenol-MAC batch adsorption system due to strong agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.