Removal of Lead and Copper Ions onto Granular Activated Carbon in Batch and Fixed Bed A Dsorber

Abstract

The adsorption of lead and copper ions onto granular activated carbon (DARCO20-40 mesh) in a single component system has been studied using fixed bed adsorbers.A film-pore diffusion model has been developed to predict the fixed bed breakthroughcurves for the two metal ions. This model takes account both external and internalmass transfer resistance as well as axial dispersion with non-linear isotherm. Theeffects of flow rate, bed height and initial metal ion concentration has been studied.Batch adsorber experiments were conducted to estimate the parameters required forfixed bed model, such as adsorption equilibrium isotherm constants the external masstransfer coefficient and pore diffusion coefficient by fitting the experimental data withtheoretical model. The batch isotherm experimental data was correlated usingLangmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The adsorption isotherm data follow theLangmuir model better than Freundlich model. The pore diffusion coefficient wasobtained using pore diffusion model for batch adsorber by matching between theexperimental data and predicted data from the model. The results show that the filmporediffusion model used for fixed bed adsorber provide a good description of theadsorption process for adsorption of metal ions Pb(II) and Cu(II) onto activated carbonin fixed bed adsorber.

Keywords

• removal
• heavy metals
• activated carbon
• batch adsorber
• fixed bed adsorber