Adsorptive Removal of 2-Nitrophenol and 2-Chlorophenol by Cross-Linked Algae from Aqueous Solutions.

The use of the cross-linked marine seaweeds Lessonia nigrescens Bory and Macrocystis integrifolia Bory to remove 2-nitrophenol and 2-chlorophenol from aqueous solutions at room temperature was investigated. The effect of the initial pH, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of the pollutant were evaluated in batch experiments. The mathematical adsorption models of Langmuir and Freundlich show a mixed adsorptive mechanism of both phenolic compounds by the algae. The calculated parameters demonstrate a high adsorbent to pollutant affinity ratio, indicating the potential effectiveness of these marine seaweeds in the removal of these phenolic compounds from diluted aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]