Title: The use of step and pulse tests to design activated carbon adsorption columns for recovery of copper ions from aqueous industrial effluents

Authors: Tanokkorn Banjongla-iad, Eric Croiset, Peter Silveston, Peter L. Douglas, Supaporn Douglas, Wittaya Teppaitoon, Suwassa Pongampha

Addresses: CES Solar Cells Testing Center, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Prachar Utid Rd., Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand. ' Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. ' Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. ' Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. ' Department of Chemical Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Prachar Utid Rd., Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand. ' Department of Chemical Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Prachar Utid Rd., Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand. ' Department of Chemical Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, 126 Prachar Utid Rd., Bangmod, Thungkru, Bangkok 10140, Thailand

Abstract: Dynamic experiments were carried out on the adsorption of copper ions in a laboratory packed bed of activated carbon. Both pulse and step change inputs were used. Measurements were reproducible and replicate measurements furnished nearly identical parameters for a conventional heterogeneous model of the activated carbon bed, assuming a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Bed depth had little effect on parameters. Hydraulic loading affected dispersion and the volumetric mass transfer coefficient but, unexpectedly, also changed the effective diffusivity. This apparently comes from incorporation of errors due to measurement noise and model approximations in the parameter. Parameter differences between pulse and step inputs likely arise from concentration differences. These affected the Langmuir adsorption isotherm constants and diffusivity, as expected from their concentration dependency. Step change and pulse simulations support the reliability of the novel design and the procedures proposed even though comparison of the model parameters extracted with literature values was inconclusive.

Keywords: adsorption; breakthrough curve; modelling; dynamic experiments; step tests; pulse tests; activated carbon adsorption columns; copper ion recovery; copper ions; aqueous effluent; industrial effluents.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEE.2010.035455

International Journal of Environmental Engineering, 2010 Vol.2 No.4, pp.362 - 382

Published online: 30 Sep 2010 *

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