Adsorptive denitrogenation of indole from model fuel oil over Co-MAC: Adsorption mechanisms and competitive adsorption

The present research article depicts the adsorptive denitrogenation of indole-containing model oil using cobalt-incorporated acid-activated carbon (Co-MAC). The active metal incorporated acetic acid-activated bio-sorbent showed a significant adsorption capacity for indole from model fuel oil than mere activated carbon. In a batch study, maximum 96% indole removal was achieved with an initial indole concentration of 500 mg/L, catalyst dose of 10 g/L, time of 4 h, and reaction temperature of 303 K. The non-linear regression analysis was opted to fit the experimental equilibrium data into various adsorption isotherms, including Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Redlich, and Peterson. Thermodynamic parameters of adsorption were investigated, and the entropy and heat of adsorption change were determined to be 0.26 kJ/mol K and 57.31 kJ/mol, respectively. Besides, a plausible adsorption mechanism of indole was also explored.