Removal of naphthalene from petrochemical wastewater streams using carbon nanoporous adsorbent

Ordered mesoporous carbon, OMC, was synthesized using ordered mesoporous silica MCM-48 as hard template, the structural order and textural properties of the synthesized materials were studied by XRD, SEM, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. Adsorption of naphthalene over various porous adsorbents such as OMC, MCM-48, and commercial activated carbon was studied from solutions with different concentration at ambient temperature (25 +/- 2 degrees C) and pH 7. The adsorption isotherms of naphthalene were in agreement with a Langmuir model, moreover, the uptake capacity of naphthalene followed the order: OMC > commercial activated carbon > mesoporous silica (MCM-48). (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.