Tailoring mesoporous ferrocene-modified activated carbon for phenol removal in wastewater

This study investigates the adsorption capacity (q_max) of synthesized ferrocene-modified activated carbon (AC-H₃PO₄/Fe₇S₈) for the removal of phenol in wastewater. The structural and morphological features of the synthesized composite were determined using FTIR, BET, XRD, and SEM. With an average pore size of 59.127 nm, AC-H₃PO₄/Fe₇S₈ composite achieved 98% removal efficiency of phenol at optimal conditions comprising adsorbent dosage of 0.3 g, contact time of 120 min, pH of 4, and concentration of 50 mg/L. The Freundlich isotherm model displayed R² values of 0.9965 and 0.9955, while the evaluated maximum adsorption capacities were 9.15 and 13.32 mg/g for AC-H₃PO₄ and AC-H₃PO₄/Fe₇S₈ respectively. The adsorption kinetics was also fitted into a Pseudo second-order kinetic model with a rate constant of 0.10462 min⁻¹ at optimal conditions. The thermodynamics parameters suggested that the reaction was spontaneous and endothermic with increased randomness. The findings describe the synthesized AC-H₃PO₄/Fe₇S₈ composite as a promising adsorbent for the removal of phenol wastewater treatment.