ADSORPTION OF

“ACETIC ACID” OR
“ETHANOIC ACID” Prepared By:
Mohammed Elshafey

USING ACTIVATED
CHARCOAL TECHNICAL
REPORT
Abstract

Adsorption is a main mechanism in industrial separation process due to its wide various

applications, therefore having a simulation & modelling system to predict the suitable

operating conditions is a must to save costs, raw materials, and increase the efficiency of the

overall separation process. Langmuir and Freundlich are the earliest adsorption isotherm

models, they have different assumptions, but Freundlich can be taken as a specially developed

case for Langmuir's model drawbacks.

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Table of Contents

Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 3
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Adsorption as a mass transfer mechanism ............................................................................................... 5
Types of Adsorption .................................................................................................................................. 5
Adsorption Isotherms ............................................................................................................................... 6
Langmuir Isotherm Model ......................................................................................................................... 7
Freundlich Isotherm .................................................................................................................................. 9
Experimental Method and Procedure ........................................................................................................ 11
Sources of Errors ......................................................................................................................................... 13
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 19
References .................................................................................................................................................. 20

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Freundlich Graphical Representation .............................................................................. 9

Figure 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 15

Figure 3 ......................................................................................................................................... 16

Figure 4 ......................................................................................................................................... 17

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List of Tables

Table 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Table 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 12

Table 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Table 4 ........................................................................................................................................... 15

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Introduction

Adsorption as a mass transfer mechanism

Adsorption is a surface level mass transfer mechanism, that is done by the accumulation of a

high concentration molecular species onto a surface of a lower concentration substance.

(BYJU'S - The Learning App, n.d.)

Two components are required for a successful adsorption operation, the adsorbate, which is

the substance to be accumulated, and the adsorbent which is a surface with low concentration

sites that allows depositing of the adsorbate substance. Adsorption occurs between a fluid;

either gas or liquid, and a solid surface in a granule, powder or even a pellet form. (BYJU'S - The

Learning App, n.d.)

Types of Adsorption

There are two main types of adsorption based on the interaction forces between the adsorbate

and the adsorbent.

Physical Adsorption or physisorption, the mass transfer in this type is done by the interaction

between the adsorbate molecules and the weak Van Der Wall forces on the surface of the

adsorbent which leads to break theses forces and create a layer on the surface of the

adsorbent. (Physical and Chemical Adsorption, n.d.)

Physisorption is a common type of adsorption that is used in industrial processes for separation

functions because it is a low-temperature operation, no source of heating is needed since the

operation is reversible and heating increases the rate of desorption. Besides that, it can be used

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for multi-purpose separations since it is a non-selective mechanism with an ability to create

multilayers with different adsorbate molecules in the adsorbent surface. (Physical and Chemical

Adsorption, n.d.)

Chemisorption is a natural phenomenon of adsorption; it can be found in corrosion. It is done

by forming a bond on the surface of the adsorbent by the adsorbate molecules, opposite from

physisorption it is an irreversible & selective operation with specific uses in industrial scale, also

it needs a high operating temperature to raise the activation energy to the required value.

(Physical and Chemical Adsorption, n.d.)

Adsorption Isotherms

Predicting the efficiency of adsorption systems is very important to avoid any sudden upgrading or

replacement of equipment due to fast depreciation.

Isotherm model is a graphical & mathematical way for modelling & simulation of adsorption systems by

comparison between different related parameters such as capacity or extent of adsorption, the

concentration of adsorbent, and the required operating pressure. It is used to determine the favourable

operating conditions for adsorption systems besides recommendations for the best adsorbent to be

used. (Virtual Amrita Labratories Universalizing Education, 2011)

There are different types of models based on the number of constants & parameters to be put into

consideration, two & three isotherm models are the common types, since there higher accuracy and

ease use, e.g. Langmuir, Freundlich and BET.

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Langmuir Isotherm Model

Langmuir isotherm model is the earliest adsorption isotherm models, it is a theoretical model

that gave an expression for the relation between adsorption capacity and adsorbent

concentration or pressure, the main assumption in Langmuir's work is the monolayer formation

on the surface of adsorbent by adsorbate molecules.

It has the following assumptions: (Sagar Gawande, 2017)

• The adsorbent surface is uniform, all adjacent sites have equal energies and same

properties.

• The adsorbate molecules did not interact with each other.

• In a single operation, the adsorption occurs with the same mechanism, there is no

combination between physical and chemical adsorption in the same operation.

It can be represented by the following empirical equation:

1 1 1 1
= + ×
𝑞 𝑞𝑚 𝑎 × 𝑞𝑚 𝐶𝑒

𝐶𝑒 1 𝐶𝑒
= +
𝑞 𝑞𝑚 × 𝐾𝐿 𝑞𝑚

Where:

𝑞𝑚 : 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡

𝐶𝑒 : 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝐾
𝑎=
𝐾′
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 𝐾: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑚𝑢𝑖𝑟 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡

𝐾 ′ : 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑚𝑢𝑖𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡

𝑞: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

Limitations and drawbacks of the Langmuir isotherm model: (Chemistry Learning, 2009)

• Practically, there is no evidence for the uniform nature of adsorbents surfaces, and

homogeneity of adjacent sites instead of heterogeneity.

• The model cannot be applied in high pressure & concentration cases.

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Freundlich Isotherm

Freundlich model is a development of the Langmuir model drawbacks, but the major difference

between them, that the Freundlich model is based on practical work instead of theoretical work

as in Langmuir. (Wikipedia, 2020)

It has the following assumptions: (Wikipedia, 2020)

• The surface of the adsorbent is rough with non-homogenous adjacent sites.

• Opposite from Langmuir's model, there is an interaction between adsorbate molecules

on adsorbent surface adjacent sites.

It has the following graphical representation:

Y-Values
4

3.5

2.5
Qe or X/m

1.5

0.5

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Ce or P

Figure 1: Freundlich Graphical Representation

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It can be represented by the following empirical equation:

1
𝐿𝑜𝑔 (𝑞𝑒 ) = 𝐿𝑜𝑔(𝐾𝑓 ) + × 𝐿𝑜𝑔(𝐶𝑒 )
𝑛

Where:

𝑞𝑒 : 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑐𝑒 : 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝐾𝑓 : 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

𝑛: 𝐸𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡

Limitations and drawbacks of the Freundlich isotherm model: (Wikipedia, 2020)

• At higher pressures and concentrations, the model cannot be applied.

• The system is not totally isothermal since the values of Freundlich and empirical

constants are varied with temperature.

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Experimental Method and Procedure

1. An acetic acid stock solution with 1𝑀 concentration will be prepared in a

1000 𝑚𝑙 volumetric round flask from a concentrated glacial acetic acid with a

17.4𝑀 concentration. About 57.47 𝑚𝑙 of the concentrated glacial acetic acid will be

added to a distilled water.

2. Aqueous solutions of acetic acid with different concentrations will be prepared into

different flasks w.r.t the following table:

Table 1

3. About 2 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠 of activated charcoal will be added to each flask.

4. About 50𝑚𝑙 of the acetic acid solution will be added to each flask.

5. Ensure that the adding of the acetic acid solution and activated charcoal is being on the

same time for all flasks.

6. For about 20 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑠, shake flasks at 180 𝑟𝑝𝑚 to start the adsorption.

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 7. By using clean and dry flasks, filter the mixtures.

8. Determine the actual concentration of acetic acid in flasks by titration in this way:

For titration, modify the volume in each titrimetric flask. Take away defined

volume of the solution, to obtain in each flask the volume as given in the following

Table:

Table 2

9. 2 − 3 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑠 of phenolphthalein will be added and titrated by (0.1 𝑀) 𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻.

10. Once the endpoint has been reached, read the burette. The volume of NaOH

consumed to reach the end point could be taken from burette. The concentration of

acetic acid after adsorption can be calculated using the rule of:

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻 ∗ 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻 = 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦𝐶𝐻3𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐻 ∗ 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝐶𝐻3𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐻

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Sources of Errors

1. The concentrated glacial acetic acid could be polluted with impurities, which could

affect its molarity value, hence affect the preparation of acetic acid stock solution.

2. The aqueous solution of acetic acid is not well prepared due to human error and pipit-

stuck losses.

3. The required conditions for the experiment are not well controlled such as temperature

could cause errors and impact the adsorption efficiency.

4. The used equipment could be not maintained and not well clean, which could affect the

results in the different adsorption stages such as filtration and shaking.

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Experimental Results and Calculations

Basic calculations:

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑘
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑋 = (𝐶𝑂 − 𝐶𝑒 ) × ( )
1000

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑒
𝑞𝑒 =
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑑𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑡

Table 3

Flask 𝑪𝑶 (𝒎𝒈⁄𝒍) 𝑪𝒆 (𝒎𝒈⁄𝒍) 𝑿(𝒎𝒈) Mass of 𝒒𝒆 𝑪𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒈(𝑪𝒆 ) 𝑳𝒐𝒈(𝒒𝒆 )

𝒒𝒆
Number Adsorbent

𝒎(𝒈)

1 6000 600 270 2 135 4.4444 2.7781 2.1303

2 9000 1200 390 2 195 6.1538 3.0791 2.29

3 12000 3000 450 2 225 13.3333 3.4771 2.3521

4 18000 6600 570 2 285 23.1578 3.8195 2.4548

5 24000 10800 660 2 330 32.7272 4.0334 2.5185

6 30000 15600 720 2 360 43.3333 4.1931 2.5563

Langmuir Calculations:

1 1 1 1
= + ×
𝑞 𝑞𝑚 𝑎 × 𝑞𝑚 𝐶𝑒

𝐶𝑒 1 𝐶𝑒
= +
𝑞 𝑞𝑚 × 𝐾𝐿 𝑞𝑚

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 Table 4

𝟏 𝟏
𝑪𝒆 𝒒𝒆

0.001666667 0.0074074074

0.00083333333 0.00512820512

0.00033333333 0.00444444444

0.00015151515 0.00350877192

0.00009259259 0.00303030303

0.00006410256 0.00277777777

Figure 2

Based on the graph:

𝑦 = 2.696𝑥 + 0.003

𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = 2.696

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 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 = 0.003

𝑅 2 = 0.9645

1
𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 = = 0.003
𝑞𝑚

𝑞𝑚 = 333.33

1
𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = = 2.696
𝑎 × 𝑞𝑚

𝑎 = 1.1127 × 10−3

Figure 3

Based on the graph:

𝑦 = 0.0026𝑥 + 4.2047

𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = 0.0026

𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 = 4.2047

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 𝑅 2 = 0.9914

1
𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = = 0.0026
𝑞𝑚

𝑞𝑚 = 384.615

1
𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 = = 4.2047
𝑞𝑚 × 𝐾𝐿

𝐾𝐿 = 6.1835 × 10−4

Freundlich Calculations:

1
𝐿𝑜𝑔 (𝑞𝑒 ) = 𝐿𝑜𝑔(𝐾𝑓 ) + × 𝐿𝑜𝑔(𝐶𝑒 )
𝑛

Figure 4

Based on the graph:

𝑦 = 0.2837𝑥 + 1.3728

𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = 0.2837
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 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 = 1.3728

𝑅 2 = 0.9769

1
𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = = 0.2837
𝑛

𝑛 = 3.5248

𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 = 𝐿𝑜𝑔(𝐾) = 1.3728

𝐾 = 23.5939

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Conclusion

For this adsorption operation, using the Langmuir model to predict the suitable conditions for

adsorption, since the correlation factor for the Langmuir model is greater than it for the

Freundlich model.

The selecting of such adsorbent depends on various factors, such as relative cost, the

selectivity, the ability to form multilayers, the surface area, and the ability to be used in various

applications. (Contributors, 2013)

From this point of view, charcoal is used as an adsorbent in different industries & applications

such as water treatment systems, gas purification, livestock production, and medical

instruments due to its low relative cost, easy production from organic wastes & coal mines, and

its large surface area. (Wikipedia, 2020)

The main drawback of using charcoal that affects its efficiency is its ability to bind

ions/atoms/molecules per surface area due to its charged centres, also in many applications of

adsorbing fumes it acts poor in comparison with other alternatives such as coal. (Contributors,

2013)

The dealing with temperature is another challenge in adsorption processes, in case of

chemisorption raising temperature would increase the needed activation energy for bond

formation over the surface adjacent sites, but in the case of physisorption process which is a

reversible process; raising temperature will raise the rate of desorption due to its effect on Van

Der Walls forces. (Amin Shavandi, 2017)

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References
Amin Shavandi, A. A. (2017, October 31). Can adsorption capacity increase with temperature increase?
Retrieved from Research Gate:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_adsorption_capacity_increase_with_temperature_incr
ease

BYJU'S - The Learning App. (n.d.). Adsorption. Retrieved from BYJU'S - The Learning App:
https://byjus.com/jee/adsorption/

Chemistry Learning. (2009, April 4). Langmuir Adsorption Isotherm. Retrieved from Chemistry Learning:
http://www.chemistrylearning.com/langmuir-adsorption-isotherm/

Contributors, G. o. (2013, 6). Why is Charcoal such an excellent adsorbent? Retrieved from Chemistry
Stack Exchange: https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/7033/why-is-charcoal-such-
an-excellent-adsorbent

Physical and Chemical Adsorption. (n.d.). Retrieved from toppr:

https://www.toppr.com/content/video/physical-and-chemical-adsorption-english-113164/

Sagar Gawande, N. S. (2017, June 1). Adsorption and its Isotherm – Theory. Retrieved from Research
Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317607696_Adsorption_and_its_Isotherm_-
_Theory

Virtual Amrita Labratories Universalizing Education. (2011). Adsorption Isotherm. Retrieved from Virtual
Amrita Labratories Universalizing Education:
https://vlab.amrita.edu/?sub=2&brch=190&sim=606&cnt=1

Wikipedia. (2020, April 15). Activated carbon. Retrieved from Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon

Wikipedia. (2020, March 4). Freundlich equation. Retrieved from Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freundlich_equation#Limitation_of_Freundlich_adsorption_isoth
erm

Wikipedia. (2020, April 15). Langmuir adsorption model. Retrieved from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langmuir_adsorption_model

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