Behavior of phenol and aniline on selected sorbents and energy-related solid wastes

The sorption and desorption of phenol and aniline on selected soils and soil components and on some energy-related solid wastes were investigated. Isotherms were generally nonlinear and were described usually by the Freundlich equation. Most partition coefficients were low, and no significant correlation was shown with organic C content, pH, cation exchange capacity, or particle-size of the sorbent. It appears that sorption of small polar aromatic compounds, such as phenol and aniline, cannot be defined by a single sorbent characteristic, but is affected by both the organic and mineral components of the sorbents. Hysteresis was observed in most sorption-desorption experiments; a fraction of the sorbate was irreversibly held by the sorbent.