supplied by Eneva-Energia Pecém, located at São Gonçalo
do Amarante-Ceara, Brazil. The reagents HCl and NaOH and the surfactant
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were obtained from Vetec, Brazil.
For adsorption tests, individual high-purity standards (≥99%)
of methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP), and
butylparaben (BP) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Their physical–chemical
structures and properties are summarized in
(PanReac AppliChem ITW Reagents, high-performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC) grade) was used. Acetic acid used in the mobile phase was obtained
from Vetec, and NaCl, used in the determination of the point of zero
charge, was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich.