Pesticides Adsorption by a Sustainable Porous Carbon: Modeling and River Water Decontamination

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A sustainable porous carbon (WSPC) was applied to remove atrazine and 2,4‐d (2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) pesticides commonly used in cultivating grains and cereals. The 2,4‐d and atrazine removals were favored at original pH values. The equilibrium occurred according to Brouers–Sotolongo's description. The thermodynamic studies supported the exothermic behavior. The adsorption data over time were represented by the pore‐volume and surface diffusion model. Statistical mechanics revealed that the multilayer model showed the best fit for the adsorption isotherms. The steric parameters indicated that the adsorbed molecules are perpendicular to the WSPC surface. The number of adsorbed molecules decreased with increasing temperature for 2,4‐d, whereas for atrazine, it remained constant. The adsorption energy indicates that the process is governed by physisorption. WSPC efficiently removed atrazine and 2,4‐d from real river waters, reaching 98 % and 92 % removal percentages, respectively.