Removal of crystal violet from wastewater using resorcinol-formaldehyde carbon xerogels

Resorcinol-formaldehyde activated carbon xerogels (RF-ACXs) were prepared at different conditions. RF-ACXs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface area and porosity analyzer, X-rays diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Batch adsorption was used to evaluate the ability of RF-ACXs to remove crystal violet (CV) from wastewater. CV adsorption capacities of RF-ACXs ranged from 66.47 to 121.53 mg·g−1 for CV initial concentration ranged from 0 to 120 mg/L at 60°C. Kinetic and equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed using collection of models. The best results were achieved with the pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir’s equilibrium model. Regenerability and reusability of RF-ACXs were investigated.