Introduction

Adsorption is a process that occurs when a gas or liquid solute accumulates on the

surface of a solid or a liquid (adsorbent), forming a molecular or atomic film (adsorbate). It is

different from absorption, in which a substance diffuses into a liquid or solid to form a solution.

The term sorption encompasses both processes, while desorption is the reverse process.

Adsorption is operative in most natural physical, biological, and chemical systems, and is

widely used in industrial applications such as activated charcoal, synthetic resins and water

purification.

Similar to surface tension, adsorption is a consequence of surface energy. In a bulk

material, all the bonding requirements (be they ionic, covalent or metallic) of the constituent

atoms of the material are filled. But atoms on the (clean) surface experience a bond deficiency,

because they are not wholly surrounded by other atoms. Thus it is energetically favorable for

them to bond with whatever happens to be available.

In 1916, Irving Langmuir published an isotherm for gases adsorbed on solids, which

retained his name. It is an empirical isotherm derived from a proposed kinetic mechanism. It is

based on four hypotheses: The surface of the adsorbent is uniform, that is, all the adsorption sites

are equal; Adsorbed molecules do not interact; All adsorption occurs through the same

mechanism and; At the maximum adsorption, only a monolayer is formed: molecules of

adsorbate do not deposit on other, already adsorbed, molecules of adsorbate, only on the free

surface of the adsorbent.

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal or activated coal, is a general term that

includes carbon material mostly derived from charcoal. By any name, it is a material with an
exceptionally high surface area. The three main physical carbon types are granular, powder and

extruded (pellet). All three types of activated carbon can have properties tailored to the

application.

Activated carbon is frequently used in everyday life, in – industry, food production,

medicine, pharmacy, military, etc. In pharmacy, activated charcoal is considered to be the most

effective single agent available as an emergency decontaminant in the gastrointestinal tract. It is

used after a person swallows or absorbs almost any toxic drug or chemical.

Theoretical Background

An adsorption isotherm is a curve relating the equilibrium concentration of a solute on

the surface of an adsorbent, qe , to the concentration of the solute in the liquid, Ce , with which it

is in contact.

The adsorption isotherm is also an equation relating the amount of solute adsorbed onto

the solid and the equilibrium concentration of the solute in solution at a given temperature. The

most commonly used isotherms for the application of activated carbon in water and wastewater

treatment are the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. Freundlich isotherm is an empirical

equation while Langmuir isotherm has a rational basis.

𝐴(𝑚𝑎𝑥) 𝑥 𝑘𝑐
𝑚=
1 + 𝑘𝑐

Where,
m – is the substance amount of adsorbate adsorbed per gram (or kg) of the adsorbent, the
unit is mol/g.
Amax – is the maximal substance amount of adsorbate per gram (or kg) of the adsorbent,
the unit is mol/g
 k – is the adsorption constant (mol-1 dm3 )
c – is the concentration of adsorbate in liquid in mol/ dm3

Another isotherm is identified as the Freundlich adsorption isotherm, known for its

empirical approach expressed as,

Where,
KF is an indicator of adsorption capacity. The higher the maximum capacity, higher the
KF and,
1/n is a measure of intensity of adsorption. Higher the 1/n value, more favorable is the
adsorption.

Results

Initial Conc (C1) Final Conc (C2) W (Acetic Acid) m (Charcoal) y

0.93 M 0.927 M 60.05 g/mol 1g 1.8015
0.46 M 0.447 M 60.05 g/mol 1g 31.8265
0.21 M 0.0625 M 60.05 g/mol 1g 28.5238

(𝐶1 − 𝐶2)𝑥 𝑀𝑊 𝐻𝑂𝐴𝑐 𝑥 𝑉 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑛

𝑦=
𝑊 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑙
 Y vs C1
35

30

25

20

15

10

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Y-Values

Saturation value of y for monomolecular coverage

Log(Y) vs Log C1
0
-0.1 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

-0.2
-0.3
-0.4
-0.5
-0.6
-0.7
-0.8

Y-Values
 Y-Values
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

Y-Values