• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.283-289
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• 2021

Adsorption characteristics of carbol fuchsin (CF) dye by coal-based activated carbon (CAC) were investigated using pH, initial concentration, temperature and contact time as adsorption variables. CF dissociates in water to have a cation, NH₂⁺, which is bonded to the negatively charged surface of the activated carbon in the basic region by electrostatic attraction. Under the optimum condition of pH 11, 96.6% of the initial concentration was adsorbed. Isothermal adsorption behavior was analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Langmuir's equation was the best fit for the experimental results. Therefore, the adsorption mechanism was expected to be adsorbed as a monolayer on the surface of activated carbon with a uniform energy distribution. From the evaluated Langmuir's dimensionless separation coefficients (R_L = 0.503~0.672), it was found that CF can be effectively treated by activated carbon. The adsorption energies determined by Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich models were E = 15.31~7.12 J/mol and B = 0.223~0.365 kJ/mol, respectively. Therefore, the adsorption process was physical (E < 20 J/mol, B < 8 kJ/mol). The experimental result of adsorption kinetics fit better the pseudo second order model. In the adsorption reaction of CF dye to CAC, the negative free energy change increased as the temperature increased. It was found that the spontaneity also increased with increasing temperature. The positive enthalpy change (40.09 kJ/mol) indicated an endothermic reaction.