Surface modification can be performed by adsorption of certain organic compounds on the surface of carbon. The main objective of this work was to compare the adsorption ability of acid-modified carbon black with the non-modified one. Modification process was performed by adsorption of acetic acid onto commercial carbon black surface. A batch adsorption system was applied to study the both adsorption reaction, acetic acid and Ni(II) adsorption onto the carbon black. Adsorption isotherms of acetic acid and Ni(II) adsorption onto the non-modified and modified carbon black were fitted by classical adsorption models, such as Freundlich and Langmuir models. Modified carbon black surface become more active for Ni(II) ions removal from aqueous solutions. The results showed that modification by acetic acid increases the adsorption capacity of carbon black from 18.3823 mg Ni(II) g-1 to 86.9566 mg Ni(II) g-1. SEM analysis enabled the observation of any surface changes in the carbon black that have occurred due to either acid modification or Ni(II) adsorption

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Carbon anode dust (CAD) is metallurgical waste material of aluminium production industry. The objective of this study was to convert carbon anode dust to acetic acid-modified and KOH-modified carbon adsorbat. Modified and unmodified carbon anode dust samples were characterized by SEM analysis. Pore volume, pore size and surface area were determined with BET method. The prepared carbons were evaluated for their adsorption capacity of nickel ions. The experimental data were analyzed by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. Changes in the surface morphology, surface area properties and obtained adsorption capacity indicate that acetic acid is a better modifier than KOH. Equilibrium results showed that acetic acid modification increased the CAD adsorption capacity for Ni (II) more than KOH modification