Modeling of chlorophenols competitive adsorption on soils by means of the ideal adsorbed solution theory

The adsorption of 3-chlorophenol (3-CP) and 3,5-dichlorophenol (3,5-CP) on two Italian soils was studied at 20 degrees C. Experiments on the pure components showed that 3,5-CP was more strongly adsorbed than 3-CP, and that the adsorption capacity could be related to the organic carbon fraction of the soil. Competitive adsorption data were described by the fully predictive ideal adsorbed solution (IAS) theory. To this end, the Langmuir parameters determined from pure component adsorption data were used. Results showed that at low 3,5-CP concentration (up to 5-10 mM) the model describes satisfactorily the binary system behavior, whereas at higher concentrations predictions fail, suggesting that non ideality effects in the adsorbed phase should be accounted for.