Several works have been conducted in order to elucidate
the mechanism of adsorption of many molecules
on different adsorbents. Those publications reveal that
adsorption of organic molecules from dilute aqueous solutions
on carbon materials is a complex interplay between
electrostatic and non-electrostatic interactions and
that both interactions depend on the characteristics of the
adsorbent and adsorbate, as well as the solution chemical
properties.[27]
In this sense, the adsorption characteristics by carbon
materials were studied at varying pH range from 3 to 9
for caffeine and atenolol. The adsorption capacities of AC,
MWNT and CNF presented in Figure 8 shows that, as expected,
adsorption process is strongly dependent on pH.
This may be due to both non-electrostatic and electrostatic
interaction. In the case of atenolol or caffeine (pKa = 9.6
and 10.4, respectively, Table 2), its binding onto activated
carbon is mainly due to a non-electrostatic interaction in-
0
50
100
150
200
250
5 7 9
qeq / mg.g-1
pH
Cafeine-AC Cafeine-MWNT Cafeine-CNF
Atenolol-AC Atenolol-MWNT Atenolol-CNF
3
Fig. 8. Effect of pH for the adsorption of caffeine and atenolol
on activated carbon, MWNT and CNF.
volving hydrogen bonding.[28] This hydrogen bonding is
preferred at pH lower than 7.6 (point of zero charge AC),
at which carbonaceous surface has a net positive charge;
however, it becomes less favorable on negative carbonaceous
surface at pH higher than 7.6, resulting a decrease in
adsorption of caffeine.
The increase of atenolol adsorption from pH = 5.0 to
pH = 9.0 with AC is due to the increased H+ adsorbed on
the carbonyl sites, which suppresses atenolol adsorption on
these sites. On the other hand, the decrease of the atenolol
amount adsorbed frompH=3.0 to 5.0 is attributed to both
greater solubility of dissociated atenolol at pH > pKa and
increased repulsion forces between the dissociated form of
the adsorbate and the carbon surface.[29