Modified Activated Carbon/Cu(OH)2 Nanocomposite for Oil/Water Emulsion Separation

In this study, a nanocomposite of activated carbon modified by copper hydroxide nanoparticles and stearic acid with high hydrophobic–oleophilic characteristics was synthesized, characterized and used to remove vegetable oils from oil/water emulsion. Effects of different parameters such as initial pH, temperature, and concentration on oil removal from emulsion were investigated. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models were employed to analyze equilibrium data. The results showed that maximum oil/water separation efficiency obtained about 100% at pH 7, the maximum oil adsorption capacity obtained 6.27 g/g, and the oil adsorption process by the nanocomposite followed the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The thermodynamic results showed that the oil adsorption process with synthetic adsorbent is exothermic and spontaneous. The results showed that the resulted nanocomposite is an efficient and reusable adsorbent to remove vegetable oils from oil/water emulsion.