Water-insoluble gel was prepared from persimmon tannin (PT) solution by the autoxidation process. The gelation reaction proceeded by applying oxygen gas and natural light to the aqueous PT solution, without using harmful reagents or catalysts. Adsorption behavior of the PT gel was assessed using caffeine. Batch adsorption studies were conducted to evaluate the influence of experimental parameters such as contact time, initial concentration of adsorbates, adsorbent dose and temperature. The equilibrium data were analyzed using Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. Thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy changes were also calculated, showing that caffeine adsorption on the PT gel is an exothermic process and feasible at lower temperatures. The present results suggest that the PT gel can be used as an effective adsorbent for removing caffeine from solutions.Keywords: adsorption, autoxidation, caffeine, gel, isotherm, persimmon tannin *To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: loahmad@stu.kanazawa-u.ac.jp (L.O. Ahmad) kunimoto@se.kanazawa-u.ac.jp (K. Kimoto)
IntroductionTannins are a group of polyphenol compounds that are distributed widely in many plant species, where they serve as defense mechanisms against predators. Persimmon fruits (Diospyros kaki L.) are rich in soluble and non-soluble condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins). Low molecular weight soluble tannins are believed to be responsible for the astringency of the persimmon fruit (Matsuo and Ito, 1978). Tannins are also known to form complexes and precipitates with macromolecules, such as proteins and polysaccharides, alkaloids, and heavy metals (Haslam, 1989).Chemical characterization of persimmon tannin (PT) has long been hampered because of its heterogeneous character and high molecular weight. Matsuo and Ito (1978) first reported on the composition and structure of persimmon condensed tannin. Their proposed structure consists of coupled flavan-3-ols, catechin, catechin-3-O-gallate, gallocatechin, and gallocatechin-3-O-gallate residues as the repeating units, with a molar ratio of 1:1:2:2, respectively. They also showed that the PTs are large molecular weight (ca. 13.8 kDa) polymers belonging to the proanthocyanidin B group, with carbon-carbon interflavan linkages between C-4 of one unit and C-8 (or C-6) of another. According to Xu et al. (2012), the stereochemistry of the flavan-3-ol unit of the PT is mainly 2,3-cis, which corresponds to epi-type catechins as shown in Fig. 1.Kaki-shibu, a fermented product made from the juice of immature astringent persimmons, is an important source of condensed tannins traditionally used in tanning paper (fiber hardening) and fishing nets (corrosion prevention), and for removing protein during the brewing of rice wine "sake" and soy sauce in Japan (Sugiura and Subhadrabandhu, 1996).
PT gel was used in all adsorption experiments.A stock solution of caffeine (1,000 mg/L) was prepared by dissolving the required amount of caffeine in ultrapure water. The stock solution was ...