1Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu State, Nigeria
2Department of Chemical Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
3Department of industrial chemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
The present study investigates the potential of acetylated corn cobs as an adsorbent for oil spills cleanup. The equilibrium, isotherm and kinetics of the acetylated corn cobs were all carried out at room temperature, different reaction times as well as oil concentration. The sorption model and crude oil absorptive behavior of the ACC were studied using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The experimental methods adopted for the determination and estimation of the sorption coefficients are also described. The correlation values obtained showed that the model better fitted the Freundlich isotherm than the Langmuir isotherm. That is, the adsorption of oil on the adsorbent consists of heterogeneous adsorption sites that are similar to each other in respect of adsorption phenomenon. The kinetic data were best fitted to pseudo second-order kinetic model. ACC are therefore recommended for oil spills clean up, as well as for further development.
Adsorbent, Lanngmuir model, Fredunlich model, kinetic models, acetylated corn cobs
