Adsorption of DDT from Contaminated Soil using Carbon Nanotubes

This paper presents results of an investigation into the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the adsorption of DDT in soil and solution. DDT is a known endocrine-disrupting chemical with observed persistence, harm to the environment, and a human health concern. Thus, it is important to clean it up from the environment. In this study, CNT is selected because it has high surface area for adsorption. Adsorption experiments were conducted using the batch equilibrium technique with a fixed soil:solution ratio. Adsorption of DDT onto the CNTs was characterized by an initial rapid adsorption, which eventually became constant within 22 hours, perhaps due to limited surface area of the CNTs available for DDT adsorption. Results of the study demonstrated the relative adsorption increase with increasing solution concentration. The results obtained indicate the importance of CNTs in the adsorption of DDT and show that they have a great potential application for remediation of DDT from contaminated soil.