Removal of benzene and toluene from aqueous solutions using Phoenix dactylifera leaves treated with HNO3 as adsorbent: Kinetic, isotherm studies and modeling

Because of the risks associated with exposure to benzene and toluene in water, researchers have attempted to conduct studies to remove them from aqueous solutions. In the present work, the potential of chemically treated date palm (CT-PDL) leaves to adsorb benzene and toluene was evaluated. To analyze the composition and properties of the adsorbent, scanning emission electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used. Solution pH, CT-PDL dosage, contact time, and initial concentrations of benzene and toluene solutions were considered the most important parameters for conducting batch experiments, and their effects on the adsorption efficiency were evaluated. Integrating the adsorption data into different models showed that the Langmuir isotherm equation accurately described the experimental data and had the highest adsorption capacity, 16.39 mg/g for benzene and 4.90 mg/g for toluene. Considering the above results, CT-PDL was found to be a poor adsorbent for the removal of benzene and toluene from water