Adsorption of phenol from aqueous solutions on Jojoba nuts residue

Equilibrium isotherms for the adsorption of phenol from aqueous solutions of three types of Jojoba nuts residue were determined at 30, 40 and 55 degrees C. Types I and 11 were the residue after extracting the oil by leaching or by a pressing process, respectively. The third type was obtained by thermally treating the residue remaining after pressing. The phenol concentration ranged from 0-100 ppm in the aqueous solutions. A low adsorption capacity relative to activated carbon was obtained on types I and 11, while the adsorption capacity of type III was much higher than types I and II. The results show that Jojoba nuts residue show good potential for adsorption of phenolic compounds if subjected to some type of treatment (activation). As the temperature increased from 30 to 55 degrees C, the adsorption capacity of types I and 11 decreased, but the increase had a negligible effect on type III. The experimental data were fitted to the appropriate adsorption models. The models used were Langmuir, Freundlich, Koble-Corrigan and Redlich-Peterson.