Granular activated carbon (GAC) was evaluated as a suitable sorbent for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) removal from aqueous solutions. For this purpose, kinetic measurements on the extraction of a family of six PAHs were taken. A morphology study was performed by means of a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of GAC samples. Analyses of the batch rate data for each PAH were carried out using two kinetic models: the homogenous particle diffusion model (HPDM) and the shell progressive model (SPM). The process was controlled by diffusion rate the solutes (PAHs) that penetrated the reacted layer at PAH concentrations in the range of 0.2–10 mg L−1. The effective particle diffusion coefficients (Deff) derived from the two models were determined from the batch rate data. The Weber and Morris intraparticle diffusion model made a double contribution to the surface and pore diffusivities in the sorption process. The Deff values derived from both the HPMD and SPM equations varied from 1.1×10−13 to 6.0×10−14 m2 s−1. The simplest model, the pore diffusion model, was applied first for data analysis. The model of the next level of complexity, the surface diffusion model, was applied in order to gain a deeper understanding of the diffusion process. This model is able to explain the data, and the apparent surface diffusivities are in the same order of magnitude as the values for the sorption of functionalized aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols and sulphonates)that are described in the literature.

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