Evaluation of MCM-41 Nanoparticles for Removal of Phenol Contents from Coke-Oven Wastewater

Abstract

Coke oven wastewater containing high concentrations of phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD) was collected from a local steel plant of Odisha. The treatment of coke oven wastewater was carried out by using Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM-41) nanoadsorbent. The effect of various adsorption parameters, such as temperature (°C), initial pH, agitation speed (rpm), and MCM-41 dosage (g/L) on phenol adsorption was investigated using a two-level factorial experimental design. Enhancing MCM-41 dosage had a positive effect on the phenol adsorption performance, whereas with increasing pH, a negative effect on phenol removal was observed. The significant adsorption parameters obtained from the screening study were optimized by central composite design and response surface methodology (RSM). Results revealed that more than 96% phenol adsorption along with 9% COD removal was achieved at an optimum combination of pH 5, agitation speed 98 rpm, and 2.8 g/L of MCM-41 dosage. Among the various isotherms tested at the optimized conditions, Langmuir isotherm and Temkin isotherm were found to be very well fitted to the experimental data. Furthermore, values of the dimension separation factor and interaction parameter indicated that the adsorption of phenol onto MCM-41 was very favorable. The study revealed the potential of MCM-41 for the treatment of coke oven wastewater.