Fabrication of organobentonite by microwave-assisted heating and its adsorption property for phenol

BACKGROUND The adsorption removal of phenol onto bentonite that was prepared by the traditional hydrothermal method has been widely studied; especially, surfactant-modified bentonite has achieved an exclusive position on effective removal to phenol. However, the adsorption performance of the bentonite functionalized by double-carbon chain surfactants in a microwave field for phenol is relatively low. The study on the fabrication of organobentonite by microwave-assistance to remove organic pollutants still needs to be investigated. RESULTS The adsorption performance of bentonite was enhanced after functionalizing with Dihexadecyldimethylammonium Bromide (D1621). FTIR and XRD patterns revealed that D1621 was successfully intercalated into bentonite, and the interval space was increased by 1.54 to 1.84 nm. The optimized preparation condition was obtained at a molar ratio (D1621: Bentonite) of 0.36, solid–liquid ratio (D1621 + Bent: water) of 0.12, microwave mode of Med, and thermal radiation for 6 min based on the indicator of phenol adsorption uptake. An excellent removal rate for phenol was observed at pH 2 to 7 and room temperature in adsorption tests. The adsorption process was spontaneous at room temperature according to thermodynamic parameters, and it agrees with Freundlich ( R 2 = 0.9781) and pseudo-second-order ( R 2 = 0.9999) models, validating a chemisorption process. CONCLUSION The D1621-Bent perpetrated by using the microwave-assisted heating method was proven to be a reliable adsorbent for phenol in water. The adsorption performance of bentonite on phenol was remarkably enhanced after the introduction of organic modifiers. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).