The removal of phenol from aqueous solutions by adsorption using surfactant-modified bentonite and kaolinite.

The natural bentonite (BC) and kaolinite (KC) were modified with two surfactant of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) and phenyltrimethylammonium bromide (PTMA) to form four kinds of organic-modified clays, i.e., HDTMA-bentonite (BHM), HDTMA-kaolinite (KHM), PTMA-bentonite (KPM) and PTMA-kaolinite (KPM).