Adsorption of organic molecules from aqueous solutions on carbon materials

Adsorption of organic molecules from dilute aqueous solutions on carbon materials is a complex interplay between non-electrostatic and electrostatic interactions. Non-electrostatic interactions are essentially due to dispersion and hydrophobic interactions, whereas the electrostatic or coulombic interactions appear with electrolytes when they are ionized at the experimental conditions used. Both interactions depend on the characteristics of the adsorbent and the adsorptive and the solution chemistry. Among them the carbon surface chemistry has a great influence on both electrostatic and non-electrostatic interactions, and can be considered one of the main factors in the adsorption mechanism from dilute aqueous solutions. In this paper the current knowledge about the fundamental factors that control the adsorption process from aqueous phase will be presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.