Removal of phenols from waters and wastewaters is an important issue in order to protect public health and environment. In an effort to develop an effective adsorbent for removal of phenol from aqueous solutions, fly ash cenospheres (FACs), the solid wastes generated from a coal-firing power plant, were modified with an amino-terminated organosilicon (γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, KH550). Surface properties of the KH550-modified FACs (M-FACs) were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). The characterized results showed that KH550 was successfully grated on the surface of FACs. The effects of various experimental parameters such as solution pH, adsorbent dose, and temperature upon the phenol adsorption onto M-FACs were evaluated. The results showed solution pH had a major impact on the phenol adsorption onto M-FACs, the optimum phenol removal was observed around pH 7-9. The kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption process was best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetics, suggesting that the mainly phenol adsorption process was predominantly controlled by chemical process. M-FACs presented more than double adsorptive capacity as compared with FACs. The adsorption capacity of the regenerated adsorbents could still be maintained at 83% by the fourth adsorption-desorption cycle.
