In this study, the biosorption of two commonly used dyes, namely Acid Blue 225 (AB 225) and Acid Blue 062 (AB 062), from aqueous solutions by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens biomass was studied in a batch system with respect to initial dye concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The biomass exhibited maximum uptake at pH 1 due to its positive nature at acidic pH and the anionic nature of the dyes. Kinetic studies showed that the biosorption of dyes on biomass was a gradual process. An equilibrium was reached in 90 min for both dyes. The kinetic studies indicated that a pseudo‐second‐order rate equation was able to provide a realistic description of biosorption kinetics of the dyes. The constants obtained from the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model at different temperatures were evaluated and the activation energies for the biosorption of AB 225 and AB 062 were found to be 13.52 and 13.62 kJ/mol, respectively. Isotherm studies pointed out that biosorption of dyes on biomass followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption capacity of biomass for AB 225 and AB 062 were 111.15 and 112.19 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamic quantities that characterize the biosorption phenomena, i.e. enthalpy, entropy, and free energy change of the adsorption, were calculated leading to a conclusion on the efficiency of the properties of the biosorbent‐dye systems.
The knowledge economy has made the half-life of information shorter and shorter. People need to commit to lifelong learning in the workplace in order to cope with changing professional requirements. However, corporate training in China currently suffers from a low return on investment, unsatisfactory training outcomes, limited duration and poor coverage. To improve this, the purpose of this study is to investigate the implementation of self-directed learning (SDL) in the Chinese workplace, following an interpretivist research paradigm with qualitative methods, including interviews of company managers and staff. A Chinese company was used as the research subject and the article’s three main points can assist similar companies make decisions on SDL. The three central contributions of the article are showing how to develop an SDL system in the workplace from the perspective of an organization; showing an elemental model of SDL in the workplace from the perspective of learning theory; and discussing an operational model of SDL program development in the workplace from the perspective of training managers. SDL should consider educational, psychological and sociological perspectives, but this article lacks a sociological perspective, leaving space for future research. Keywords: Self-directed learning (SDL), Workplace learning, Training and development, Local governance and management.
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