Sorption of 4-Nitroaniline on Activated Kaolinitic Clay and Jatropha curcas Activated Carbon in Aqueous Solution

A comparative study was carried out of the adsorption of 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) on activated kaolinitic clay and Jatropha curcas activated carbon. The kaolinitic clay and Jatropha curcas samples were activated with 1 M HNO3 and 0.5 M NaOH, respectively, and were characterized using XRF, XRD, BET, SEM and FTIR techniques. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as the initial 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) concentration, temperature, pH, contact time and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption process were investigated. The results obtained showed that Jatropha curcas activated carbon exhibited a better performance for the removal of 4-nitroaniline (4-NA) from aqueous media. The adsorption process was found to obey pseudo-second order kinetics and equilibrium data were best fitted with the Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption process was found to be independent of temperature.