Nowadays, increasing concern about pollution of groundwater by organic chemicals led to research on the use of various adsorbents. They can be applied to provide a barrier to the escape of organic contaminants from storage tanks and stabilization lagoons. This study investigated, experimentally, the adsorption of phenol by three organo-clays, using phenol in aqueous solution. This is the way that wastewater is discharged. The organo-clays used were a commercial smectite-organo-clay (ABDM-STiA), purchased in Brazil. The others were prepared with two different clays using a bentonite from the Brazilian State of Paraiba (ABDM-SVC), sodium exchanged in laboratory and smectite from Wyoming bentonite (ABDM-SWy) with one Brazilian quaternary ammonium salt. The cation exchange was alkyl benzyl dimethyl with dodecyl as the alkyl group. The hydrophilic character is then transformed into hydrophobic and organophilic. Adsorption of phenol followed the order of ABDM-SVC > ABDM-SWy > ABDM-STiA. Their isotherms followed a convex up pattern. The equilibrium curves that were obtained are well represented by the Freundlich isotherm model. The adsorption data showed that the prepared materials were effective to adsorb the phenol, the Brazilian clay is the most efficient of the three materials.
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