Removal of Sparingly Soluble Organic Compounds from Aqueous Solution By Surfactant Admicelles

Seo, Yong Chan; Holsen, Thomas M.

Environmental Engineering Research 1996;1(1): 15-23.

¹Dept. of Environmental Engineering, Sangji University
²Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

Corresponding Author: Yong Chan Seo ,

Received: January 19, 1996; Accepted: February 20, 1996.

ABSTRACT

Anionic surfactants, SDS and SDDS, were adsorbed onto ferrihydrite at low pH and desorbed at high pH. Cationic surfactants, DDTMA, TDTMA, and HDTMA, were adsorbed at high pH and desorbed at low pH. The adsorption isotherms of these ionic surfactants on ferrihydrite yielded S-shaped curves typical of the adsorption of surfactants on charged surfaces. This behavior is due to the ability of surfactants to form ag gregates on charged solid surfaces. The hydrophobic surface of the surfactant-coated ferrihydrite is an excellent environment for sorbing SSOCs. SSOC removal by surfactant admicelles increased with increasing amounts of surfactant sorbed onto the ferrihydrite. The amount of SSOC sorbed was linearly related to its hydrophobicity. This linear relationship is similar to SSOC sorption by soils and is typical of hydrophobic sorption of SSOCs from solution into a non polar sorbent.