Single and Binary Adsorption of Benzene, Phenol, and p-Nitrophenol: Effect of Physical Interactions

This work aims at emphasizing the impact of different physical interactions such as intermolecular ones between co-adsorbed molecules on the adsorption mechanisms in the liquid phase. Thus, the adsorption of a low concentration (5 ppm) of benzene, phenol, and p-nitrophenol from aqueous medium in single and binary mixture solutions is studied. Two activated carbons were prepared from two different activating agents and used in this regard. The adsorbed amounts are determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed the great importance of the aforementioned interactions in the adsorption of phenol, particularly the interactions with the co-adsorbed compounds. Indeed, phenol was remarkably better retained in binary mixture solutions than in a single one.