Supercritical Extraction of Phenols from Organically Modified Smectite

Supercritical extraction has been performed in a fixed column to desorb phenol and 4-nitrophenol from organically modified smectite. The experiments were carried out in the sequence of adsorption of hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) to montmorillonite, adsorption of phenols to organoclay in aqueous solutions, desorption of phenols from loaded organoclay using supercritical carbon dioxide, and adsorption of phenols to regenerated organoclay. The desorption characteristics of phenols were investigated at various pressures up to 420 bar; at temperatures of 40, 60, and 70°C, and at low concentrations of a cosolvent. The extraction percentages of phenols reached up to 90% in 3 hours of extraction. The results showed that under the experimental conditions investigated, the activity of HDTMA was intact during the supercritical extraction of phenols, and hence HDTMA-modified montmorillonite exhibited undiminished adsorption power toward phenols after several regeneration cycles.