Adsorption of toluene from aqueous solutions using clay-based nanostructures

In this study, porous clay heterostructures (PCH) are synthesized through gallery template approach and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Nitrogen adsorption–desorption techniques. Batch adsorption studies are conducted to investigate the effect of parameters such as adsorbent dosage, pH, concentration, and contact time on adsorption of toluene by PCH in aqueous solutions. Equilibrium data were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Based on the results, by increasing the PCH dosage from 0.5 g/L to 4 g/L, toluene removal is enhanced from 34% to 88.1%.