Adsorption of phenol on wood surfaces

Adsorption of phenol on aspen and pine wood is investigated. It is shown that adsorption isotherms are described by the Langmuir model. The woods’ specific surface areas and adsorption interaction constants are determined. It is found that the sorption of phenol on surfaces of aspen and pine is due to Van der Waals interactions (S_sp = 45 m²/g_odw for aspen and 85 m²/g_odw for pine). The difference between the adsorption characteristics is explained by properties of the wood samples’ microstructures.