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Phosphate Adsorption on Activated Carbon: An Undergraduate Experiment for Constructing the Thermodynamics of Liquid-Solid Interface Adsorption

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Title: Phosphate Adsorption on Activated Carbon: An Undergraduate Experiment for Constructing the Thermodynamics of Liquid-Solid Interface Adsorption
Language: English
Authors: Shu Wang, Nannan Xing (ORCID 0000-0001-6262-7026), Deyue Meng, Changjiang Li, Weilong Chen, Zhongcheng Ke, Le Pan (ORCID 0000-0002-1329-9078), Bowen Li (ORCID 0000-0003-1550-4087), Weixin Huang (ORCID 0000-0002-5025-3124)
Source: Journal of Chemical Education. 2026 103(3):1513-1524.
Availability: Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Science Experiments, Undergraduate Students, Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Water, Scientific Concepts, Concept Formation
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01071
ISSN: 0021-9584
1938-1328
Abstract: A critical component of various water purification technologies is the adsorption of contaminants from solution onto properly designed solid surfaces. This necessitates the understanding of adsorption of species from solution onto solid surfaces. Undergraduate students are typically only introduced to gas on solid adsorption phenomena, and this comprehensive experiment, which systematically compares the adsorption characteristics of phosphate ions on various types of activated carbon surfaces, is designed to enhance junior-year undergraduates' understanding of the thermodynamics of such adsorption processes, particularly those majoring in materials chemistry, applied chemistry, and related disciplines, and those who are preparing to engage in advanced coursework and engineering practice. The results indicate that, through this experiment, students gain firsthand experience and recognize that multilayer adsorption becomes significant and inevitable under high adsorbate concentrations. Furthermore, by comparing the data, students observe that the multilayer adsorption theoretical models--specifically, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) isotherm equation--demonstrate excellent agreement with experimental results. At the same time, through analysis, students come to understand that monolayer adsorption models, including the Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm equations, effectively describe the thermodynamic behavior of the adsorption process within their respective theoretical domains.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1499672
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Phosphate Adsorption on Activated Carbon: An Undergraduate Experiment for Constructing the Thermodynamics of Liquid-Solid Interface Adsorption
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shu+Wang%22">Shu Wang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nannan+Xing%22">Nannan Xing</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6262-7026">0000-0001-6262-7026</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Deyue+Meng%22">Deyue Meng</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Changjiang+Li%22">Changjiang Li</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Weilong+Chen%22">Weilong Chen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhongcheng+Ke%22">Zhongcheng Ke</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Le+Pan%22">Le Pan</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1329-9078">0000-0002-1329-9078</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bowen+Li%22">Bowen Li</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1550-4087">0000-0003-1550-4087</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Weixin+Huang%22">Weixin Huang</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5025-3124">0000-0002-5025-3124</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Chemical+Education%22"><i>Journal of Chemical Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 103(3):1513-1524.
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  Data: Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
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  Data: 12
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  Data: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c01071
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  Data: 0021-9584<br />1938-1328
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: A critical component of various water purification technologies is the adsorption of contaminants from solution onto properly designed solid surfaces. This necessitates the understanding of adsorption of species from solution onto solid surfaces. Undergraduate students are typically only introduced to gas on solid adsorption phenomena, and this comprehensive experiment, which systematically compares the adsorption characteristics of phosphate ions on various types of activated carbon surfaces, is designed to enhance junior-year undergraduates' understanding of the thermodynamics of such adsorption processes, particularly those majoring in materials chemistry, applied chemistry, and related disciplines, and those who are preparing to engage in advanced coursework and engineering practice. The results indicate that, through this experiment, students gain firsthand experience and recognize that multilayer adsorption becomes significant and inevitable under high adsorbate concentrations. Furthermore, by comparing the data, students observe that the multilayer adsorption theoretical models--specifically, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) isotherm equation--demonstrate excellent agreement with experimental results. At the same time, through analysis, students come to understand that monolayer adsorption models, including the Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm equations, effectively describe the thermodynamic behavior of the adsorption process within their respective theoretical domains.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1499672
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