Thermodynamic study of adsorption of phenolic compounds onto Amberlite XAD-4 polymeric adsorbents and its acetylized derivative MX-4

Adsorption equilibrium isotherms of phenolic compounds, phenol, p cresol, p chlorophenol and p nitrophenol, from aqueous solutions by Amberlite XAD 4 polymeric adsorbent and its acetylized derivative MX 4 within temperature range of 283 323K were obtained and fitted to the Freundlich isotherms. The capacities of equilibrium adsorption for all four phenolic compounds from their aqueous solutions increased around 20% on the acetylized resin, which may be contributed to the specific surface area and the partial polarity on the network. Estimations of the isosteric enthalpy, free energy, and entropy for the adsorption process were reported.