“…This aspect may be confirmed by the parameter n evaluated [12] from the Freundlich isotherm, because n is higher than 1 and assumes different values at . These values characterize the presence of energetically heterogeneous adsorption sites [13][14][15] and this heterogeneity is higher at pH 4.7 than at pH 1, probably because the distributions of OH − and SiO − groups are different and at pH 1 most of the sites are protonated. Because of this possible heterogeneity present in different systems, many models such as the homogeneous surface diffusion model, the pore diffusion model, and the heterogeneous diffusion model have been extensively applied in batch reactors to describe the transport of solutes inside adsorbent particles [16][17][18].…”