Adsorption characteristics of reactive dyes in columns of activated carbon

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 165; no. 1; pp. 944 - 949
• Main Authors: Al-Degs, Y.S., Khraisheh, M.A.M., Allen, S.J., Ahmad, M.N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15.06.2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorption; Applied sciences; Azo Compounds - isolation & purification; Bed-depth service time model; Charcoal - chemistry; Chemical engineering; Coloring Agents - isolation & purification; Exact sciences and technology; Fixed-bed adsorber; Heat and mass transfer. Packings, plates; Mass transfer zone; Naphthalenesulfonates - isolation & purification; Pollution; Reactive dyes; Solutions; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Fixed-bed adsorber; Mass transfer zone; Activated carbon; Bed-depth service time model; Reactive dyes; Pollutant behavior; Adsorption capacity; Modeling; Mass transfer; Persistence; Lifetime; Adsorption; Adsorber; Reactive dye; Fixed bed
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.10.081

Adsorption behaviour of reactive dyes in fixed-bed adsorber was evaluated in this work. The characteristics of mass transfer zone (MTZ), where adsorption in column occurs, were affected by carbon bed depth and influent dye concentration. The working lifetime ( t x ) of MTZ, the height of mass transfer zone (HMTZ), the rate of mass transfer zone (RMTZ), and the column capacity at exhaustion ( q column) were estimated for the removal of remazol reactive yellow and remazol reactive black by carbon adsorber. The results showed that column capacity calculated at 90% of column exhaustion was lower than carbon capacity obtained from equilibrium studies. This indicated that the capacity of activated carbon was not fully utilized in the fixed-bed adsorber. The bed-depth service time model (BDST) was applied for analysis of reactive yellow adsorption in the column. The adsorption capacity of reactive yellow calculated at 50% breakthrough point ( N 0) was found to be 0.1 kg kg −1 and this value is equivalent to about 14% of the available carbon capacity. The results of this study indicated the applicability of fixed-bed adsorber for removing remazol reactive yellow from solution.