Adsorption of Catechol from Aqueous Solutions Using Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Background: Catechol is considered as apriority pollutant, since it is harmful to organisms even at low concentrations, and has been classified as hazardous pollutants. The aim of this study was to investigate catechol adsorption by graphene oxide of aqueous solution. Methods: This study was an experimental-laboratory research. The batch adsorption system was utilized to evaluate the Catechol removal efficiency under different amount of effective parameters including contact time, adsorbent dosages and Catechol concentration. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin isotherm models. Results: R2 value of Langmuir isotherm model is higher than other models and maximum monolayer coverage (qmax) was calculated to be 79.08 mg/g and the separation factor indicating a favorable sorption experiment is 0.242. Also from Freundlich isotherm model, the intensities of adsorption (n) that indicated favorable sorption is 3.324. The maximum removal efficacy (94.7%) was at concentration 100 mg/L, pH 7, adsorbent dosage 1200 mg/L and contact time 75 min. Conclusion: According to the results, the adsorption process using graphene oxide was effective in the removal of catechol. Therefore, the use of this cost-effective agent is recommended as a proper alternative for the removal of catechol from aqueous solutions.