Sorption of some water contaminants using activated carbons prepared from a novel precursor

Activated carbons were obtained from date palm branches by chemical treatment or by single-step steam pyrolysis. Products with highly developed porosity were obtained fi-om H3PO4-activation, whereas, microporous carbons with moderate porosity resulted from KOH or steam-activation schemes. The uptake of six phenolic compounds from aqueous multi-component solutions was determined. The quantities removed from each was a function of its water solubility and degree of dissociation, and showed no correlation with texture parameters. Removal of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was also examined. The uptake increased with decrease in solubility. In both mixtures, the percent removal followed the sequence H3PO4 > steam-activated > KOH-treated carbons, which confirmed the role of surface chemistry rather than textural properties.