The important factors involved in the adsorption of aromatic compounds from aqueous solution by activated carbon, surface chemistry and porosity, were examined in this thesis. This was achieved by systematically investigating the adsorption of benzene, aniline, toluene, nitrobenzene and fluorobenzene by a granular activated carbon and various virgin and surface modified activated carbon fibers. The adsorption of water molecules (water vapor isotherms), the synthetic organic compound (SOC) itself (SOC vapor isotherms), and the SOC in water (i.e. SOC aqueous phase isotherms) on activated carbons were studied side by side.
