Kinetic and Isotherm Evaluation of Oil Water Treatment Using Adsorbent Materials: Implications for Niger Delta Environmental Remediation

Abstract

Adsorption offers a promising approach for the remediation of petroleum-polluted aquatic environments. This study evaluates the rate of adsorption and equilibrium behavior of a formulated adsorbent applied to crude-oil-contaminated fresh and saltwater systems under varying mix ratios. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models were employed to determine adsorption capacity, surface saturation, and heterogeneity of interaction between crude oil molecules and the developed adsorbent. Regression analysis of the Langmuir plots revealed strong linearity and high reliability values, indicating significant applicability of the Langmuir adsorption model. For a 1:9 mix ratio in saltwater conditions, the regression equation was Y = 0.0065X + 44.398 with R² = 0.9984, indicating 98.94% predictive reliability. Similarly, for 6:4 mix ratio, the regression obtained was Y = 0.0056X + 116.22 (R² = 0.8924), while the 1:8 ratio showed Y = 0.0239X + 51.194 with R² = 0.9799. The 5:5 ratio exhibited Y = 0.0307X + 614.01 with 98.94% model reliability. The results confirm that adsorption follows Langmuir’s monolayer theory, validated by high regression fits and consistent slope-intercept relationships, suggesting strong adsorbent affinity and effective pollutant removal potential. Collectively, Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models confirmed the viability of the developed adsorbent for oil-pollution treatment. This work supports low-cost bioremediation techniques and provides essential rate-determination data useful for scale-up designs of petroleum-polluted water treatment systems.