3,5-Dinitrosalicylic Acid Adsorption Using Granulated and Powdered Activated Carbons

Some nitroaromatic compounds are found in wastewater from industries such as the weapons industry or the wine industry. One of these compounds is 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS), widely used in various tests and frequently found as an emerging pollutant in wastewater and to which the required attention has not been given, even though it may cause serious diseases due to its high toxicity. This study investigated the adsorption of DNS using granulated activated carbon (GAC) and powdered activated carbon (PAC) at different temperatures. The results show that in equilibrium, the adsorption takes place in more than one layer and is favorable for the removal of DNS in both GAC and PAC; The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained at 45 °C, with values of 6.97 mg/g and 11.57 mg/g, respectively. The process is spontaneous and exothermic. In addition, there was a greater disorder in the solid-liquid interface during the desorption process. The predominant kinetics using GAC (7.14 mg/g) as an adsorbent is Elovich, indicating that there are heterogeneous active sites, and when PAC (10.72 mg/g) is used, Pseudo-second order kinetics predominate, requiring two active sites for DNS removal. External mass transfer limitations are only significant in GAC, and ATR-FTIR studies in PAC demonstrated the participation of functional groups present on the adsorbent surface for DNS adsorption.