Activated carbon catalyzes reactions of phenolics during liquid‐phase adsorption

Abstract

Abstract Various phenolic compounds in aqueous buffer solutions were contacted batchwise with powdered activated carbon. Relatively slow, but continual, decreases in the solution phenolic concentrations were measured over a period of several weeks. The decreases were due to oxidative coupling reactions of the phenolics which occurred on the carbon surface subsequent to adsorption. The effects of time, pH, dissolved oxygen, and the molecular nature of the phenolic were determined.