Adsorption Capacity of Filter Geotextile Accompanied with Granular Activated Carbon in Phenol-Contaminated Groundwater

Using only activated carbon as a phenol adsorbent is not efficient in a soil system, so a reliable carrier is required to prevent soil distribution issues. This issue needed to be appropriately addressed by the literature. Hence, the present study aims to fill this research gap by using filter geotextile along with granular activated carbon within a continuous column system (GGAC filter) containing sandy soil. Three crucial variables were considered in the experimental program, including the initial concentration of phenol (100-500 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (5-20 gr), and pH (2-12). Generally, results show that the GGAC filter can efficiently adsorb the contaminants, which is in good agreement with the predicting formulations of Thomas, Adams-Bohart, and Yoon-Nelson models. Moreover, statistical results indicate that the maximum adsorption capacity can be obtained at the initial concentration of 458.8 mg/l, the adsorbent dosage of 5.5 g, and the pH of 7. Results also showed that the concentration variable is the most influential parameter.