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The sorption of phenol, m-nitrophenol (m-NP), and o-cresol from water onto montmorillonite modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in a column was studied. The sorption isotherms were fitted by the Langmuir equation. Column experiments were performed at 25 degrees C to determine the breakthrough curves at different flow rates, feed sorbate concentrations, and bed lengths. It was shown that the proposed constant-pattern wave approach with the Langmuir model could well describe the breakthrough curves. The time required when the effluent concentration reached half of the feed concentration (t(1/2)) decreased with increasing feed flow rate, but the mass transfer coefficient (KLa) increased. In addition, an increase in feed sorbate concentration led to a decrease of both values of t(1/2) and KLa. The effect of axial dispersion on breakthrough dynamics in these sorption systems was finally discussed.

Equilibrium and kinetic studies on the sorption of phenol, m-nitrophenol (m-NP), and o-cresol from water onto montmorillonite modified with cetyltrimethylammounium bromide (CTAB) were conducted. Experiments were carried out as a function of solution pH, sorbate concentration, and temperature (25-55 degrees C). It was shown that the sorption capacity decreased in the order phenol>o-cresol>m-NP. The Langmuir, dual-mode sorption, and Redlich-Peterson models were tested to fit the sorption isotherms of single-solute systems, whereas the Langmuir competitive model was used to describe bisolute sorption equilibria. Thermodynamic parameters (DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees ) and the mean free energy (E) for the sorption of phenols were determined from the temperature dependence of the distribution constant and the Dubinin-Radushkevick equation, respectively. A simplified kinetic model was proposed to confirm the sorption mechanism.