This paper presents the adsorption of phenol on granular activated carbon (GAC)
from nutrient medium suitable for microorganisms’ growth and also the subsequent biodegradation.
Two parameter Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models were studied using large range
of phenol concentration (50-1000 mg/L). In low range of phenol concentration (50-300 mg/L),
correlation coefficient, normalized deviation "g% and separation factor were 0.9989, 2.18% and 0.38-
0.78 respectively, while for higher concentration range (400-1000 mg/L), the corresponding values
were 0.9719, 1.9% and 0.45- 0.67. Freundlich isotherm gave correlation coefficient of 0.9984, 1/n.
value of 0.7269 and normalized deviation of 4.55%. Comparison based on R
2, adjusted R
2, normalized
deviation and root mean square deviation (RMSD) showed that the Redke-Prausnitz isotherm model
gives better prediction compared to other models. Adsorption of phenol follows pseudo second
order kinetics with correlation coefficient closer to one. Biodegradation study using immobilized
cells of
Nocardia hydrocarbonoxydans
on GAC showed that, biodegradation begins well before
GAC reaches the saturation period.
