Surfactant Adsorption in Aqueous Systems
Summary
Surfactant adsorption in aqueous systems encompasses the study of amphiphilic molecules that accumulate at interfaces and attach to solid substrates, altering surface properties and facilitating processes such as detergency, emulsification and pollutant capture. The balance between hydrophobic tails and hydrophilic headgroups drives adsorption kinetics and equilibrium, with the critical micelle concentration delineating monomer–micelle transitions. Adsorption capacity and selectivity depend on parameters including pH, ionic strength, temperature and the nature of the solid surface. Isotherm models such as Langmuir and Freundlich are employed to quantify monolayer coverage and surface heterogeneity, while kinetic descriptions (pseudo-first and pseudo-second order) help to identify rate-limiting steps. Recent advances have leveraged engineered materials—biochars, functionalised polymers and nanocomposites—to enhance surfactant uptake, reduce environmental discharge and recover valuable components. These developments underscore the global importance of controlling surfactant levels in industrial effluents, greywater streams and maritime bilgewater, contributing to sustainable water treatment, resource recovery and protection of aquatic ecosystems.
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Surfactant Adsorption in Aqueous Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in surfactant adsorption in aqueous systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Surfactant: Amphiphilic molecule that reduces surface tension by adsorbing at interfaces.
Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC): Concentration above which surfactant monomers aggregate into micelles.
Adsorption Isotherm: Mathematical relationship describing the equilibrium distribution of adsorbate between liquid and solid phases.
Langmuir Isotherm: Model assuming monolayer adsorption on a homogeneous surface with finite binding sites.
Freundlich Isotherm: Empirical model describing adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces with variable site energies.
Physisorption: Reversible adsorption driven by weak forces such as van der Waals and hydrogen bonding.
Chemisorption: Irreversible adsorption involving formation of chemical bonds between adsorbate and surface.
References
- Integrating chemical coagulation with fixed-bed column adsorption using rice husk-derived biochar for shipboard bilgewater treatment: Scale-up design and cost estimation. Chemical Engineering Journal Advances (2023).
- Adsorption of an Anionic Surfactant (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate) from an Aqueous Solution by Modified Cellulose with Quaternary Ammonium. Polymers (2022).
- Removal of anionic surfactant from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto biochars: characterisation, kinetics, and mechanism. Environmental Technology (2024).
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