Column studies for the adsorption of basic dyes (methylene blue, basic red, and basic yellow) onto PAC2
(activated carbon produced from bituminous coal using steam activation) and F400 were undertaken in fixed-bed microcolumns. Experimental data were correlated using the bed depth service time (BDST) model. The
effect of bisolute interactions on the performance of microcolumn fixed beds was studied. The BDST model
was successful in describing the breakthrough curves for the adsorption of MB onto PAC2 and predicts the
experimental data with a good degree of accuracy. The results emphasized that the interactions and competition
for the available binding sites have considerable influence on the efficiency of adsorbents to remove dyes
from the solution.
The principal aim of this work is to investigate the mechanism of basic dye (methylene blue (MB) and basic
red (BR)) adsorption onto activated carbons produced from steam-activated bituminous coal. The rate of
adsorption onto various activated carbons, produced in small laboratory-scale and pilot-industrial-scale
processes, was investigated under a variety of conditions. The kinetic data from these investigations were
correlated to a number of adsorption models in an attempt to elucidate the mechanism of the adsorption
processes. The adsorption mechanism was found to follow pseudo-second-order and intraparticle-diffusion
models, with external mass transfer predominating in the first 5 min of the experiment. Filtrasorb 400
(Chemviron Carbon) exhibited the highest adsorption rate for the removal of basic dyes followed by activated
carbons produced by our research group: PAC1 (activated carbon produced from Venezuelan bituminous
coal in small laboratory scale using physical activation technique) and PAC2 (activated carbon produced by
the steam activation of New Zealand bituminous coal on a pilot-industrial scale).
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