Adsorptive Removal of Volatile Organic Compounds from Industrial Effluent Using Synthesized ZnO-CA Composite Base Adsorbent

Abstract

In this study, a composite adsorbent consisting of ZnO nanoparticles and cellulose acetate nanoparticles was prepared. The composite was extensively characterized through Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Brunnaeur Emmet Teller analysis (BET). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the effects of concentration of adsorbate (10- 80 mL), dose of adsorbent (0.1 – 1 g), pH(3-13), contact or exposure time (30-180 minutes) and temperature(30 - 70℃) on the removal of benzene and toluene using the synthesized adsorbent. The pseudo-second-order model well described the kinetics of adsorption studied, and Langmuir's isotherm best described the isotherm modeling of the adsorption data. Thermodynamic studies revealed that all the adsorption processes are feasible, endothermic, and spontaneous. The prepared adsorbent is suitable for removing benzene and toluene from wastewater.