Kinetics and Equilibrium Studies for the Removal of Cobalt,Manganese, and Silver in Ethanol using Dowex 50W-x8 Cation Exchange Resin

Organic solvents such as ethanol, find a wide range of applications in fuel, pharmaceutical industries, food industries, and paint formulations, among others. The removal of Ag(I), Co(II), and Mn(II) ions in ethanol by cation exchange resin, Dowex 50W-x8, was investigated. The adsorption characteristics of metal ions onto Dowex 50W-x8 resin were described by Langmuir isotherms. The maximum sorption exchange capacities at 298 K were obtained as 47.4 mg g^?1, 52.6 mg g^?1, and 58.5 mg g^?1 for Ag(I), Co(II), and Mn(II), respectively. The data was also fitted to Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherm models to evaluate other adsorption properties. The ion exchange of silver, cobalt, and manganese on cation exchange resin followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the intraparticle diffusion was rate-determining step. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the sorption of metal ions onto Dowex 50W-x8 resin was spontaneous (negative ΔG°) and endothermic in nature (positive ΔH°) implying that the adsorption capacity increased with increasing temperature. The resin can be regenerated by eluting metal ions with 3.0 mol L^?1 HNO₃ followed by washing it with 10 mL of Millipore water and 10 mL of 2.0 M NaOH, respectively. The proposed method was applied for metal ion removal in real ethanol samples.     

Performance and Economic Assessment of the Treatment of Phenol with TiO2 Photocatalysis,Photo‐Fenton,Biological Aerated Filter,and Wetland Reactors

The performance and economic cost of the removal of phenol with TiO₂ photocatalysis, photo‐Fenton reactions, biological aerated filter (BAF), and constructed wetland (CW) reactors has been studied. The BAF achieved complete removal with a maximum phenol concentration of 200 mg·L^?1. The BAF‐CW combination provided a phenol‐free effluent with a maximum phenol concentration of 650 mg·L^?1. In both cases, a complete detoxification of the treated water was achieved at the concentrations studied. The efficiency of TiO₂ photocatalysis was limited to concentrations below 50 mg L^?1 to minimize removal reduction and toxicity of the intermediates. Photo‐Fenton was more efficient, but also more expensive because of the high cost of H₂O₂. The photo‐Fenton‐BAF combination is proposed to be the most suitable one.     

Biosorption of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions onto chitosan–abrus precatorius blended beads

BACKGROUND: This research focuses on understanding the biosorption process and developing a cost‐effective technology for the treatment of water contaminated with phenolic compounds (phenol, 2‐chlorophenol and 4‐chlorophenol), which are discharged into the aquatic environment from a variety of sources and are highly toxic. In order to remove phenolic compounds from water, a new biobased sorbent is developed, blending chitosan with abrus precatorius, both naturally occurring biopolymers. The resulting chitosan–abrus precatorius blended beads (CS/Ab) were characterized by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques under batch equilibrium and column flow experimental conditions. The binding capacity of the biosorbent was investigated as a function of initial pH, contact time, initial concentration of adsorbate and dosage of adsorbent. RESULTS: The percentage removal of phenol, 2‐CP and 4‐CP increased with increasing adsorbent dose, while the adsorption capacity at equilibrium, q_e (mg g^?1) (amount of phenol, 2‐CP and 4‐CP loaded per unit weight of adsorbent) decreased. The equilibrium time was found to be 240 min for full equilibration of all adsorbates. Adsorption kinetic and isotherm studies showed that the pseudo‐first‐order model and the Langmuir isotherm were the best choices to describe the adsorption behaviors. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of phenol, 2‐CP and 4‐CP on to the (CS/Ab) beads was found to be 156 mg g^?1, 204 mg g^?1 and 278 mg g^?1, respectively. CONCLUSION: The experimental results suggested that (CS/Ab) blended beads are effective in the removal of phenolic compounds from aqueous medium. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

2,4,6‐Trichlorophenol and phenol removal in methanogenic and partially‐aerated methanogenic conditions in a fluidized bed bioreactor

A fluidized bed bioreactor (FBBR) was operated for more than 575 days to remove 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol (TCP) and phenol (Phe) from a synthetic toxic wastewater containing 80 mg L^?1 of TCP and 20 mg L^?1 of Phe under two regimes: Methanogenic (M) and Partially‐Aerated Methanogenic (PAM). The mesophilic, laboratory‐scale FBBR consisted of a glass column (3 L capacity) loaded with 1 L of 1 mm diameter granular activated carbon colonized by an anaerobic consortium. Sucrose (1 g COD L^?1) was used as co‐substrate in the two conditions. The hydraulic residence time was kept constant at 1 day. Both conditions showed similar TCP and Phe removal (99.9 + %); nevertheless, in the Methanogenic regime, the accumulation of 4‐chlorophenol (4CP) up to 16 mg L^?1 and phenol up to 4 mg L^?1 was observed, whereas in PAM conditions 4CP and other intermediates were not detected. The specific methanogenic activity of biomass decreased from 1.01 ± 0.14 in M conditions to 0.19 ± 0.06 mmolCH₄ h^?1 gTKN^?1 in PAM conditions whereas the specific oxygen uptake rate increased from 0.039 ± 0.008 in M conditions to 0.054 ± 0.012 mmolO₂ h^?1 gTKN^?1, which suggested the co‐existence of both methanogenic archaea and aerobic bacteria in the undefined consortium. The advantage of the PAM condition over the M regime is that it provides for the thorough removal of less‐substituted chlorophenols produced by the reductive dehalogenation of TCP rather than the removal of the parent compound itself. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biosorption of phenolic compounds by the brown alga Sargassum muticum

Phenol, 2‐chlorophenol (2‐CP), and 4‐chlorophenol (4‐CP) biosorption on Sargassum muticum, an invasive macroalga in Europe, has been investigated. The efficiency of this biosorbent was studied measuring the equilibrium uptake using the batch technique. A chemical pre‐treatment with CaCl₂ has been employed in this study in order to improve the stability as well as the sorption capacity of the algal biomass. The influence of pH on the equilibrium binding and the effect of the algal dose were evaluated. The experimental data at pH = 1 have been analysed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. It was found that the maximum sorption capacity of chlorophenols, q_max = 251 mg g^?1 for 4‐CP and q_max = 79 mg g^?1 for 2‐CP, as well as that of a binary mixture of both chlorophenols, q_max = 108 mg g^?1, is much higher than that of phenol, q_max = 4.6 mg g^?1. Moreover, sorption kinetics have been performed and it was observed that the equilibrium was reached in less than 10 h. Kinetic data have been fitted to the first order Lagergren model, from which the rate constant and the sorption capacity were determined. Finally, biosorption of the phenolic compounds examined in the present study on Sargassum muticum biomass was observed to be correlated with the octanol‐water partitioning coefficients of the phenols. This result allows us to postulate that hydrophobic interactions are the main responsible for the sorption equilibrium binding. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Application of polypyrrole coated onto wood sawdust for the removal of carmoisine dye from aqueous solutions

In this research, the removal of carmoisine dye from aqueous solutions using polypyrrole coated onto sawdust (PPy/SD) has been investigated. The sorption experiments were performed using both batch and column systems. The effects of some important parameters such as pH, initial concentration, sorbent dosage, exposure time, and temperature on uptake of carmoisine dye were investigated. Based on the data obtained in batch system, it was found that maximum adsorption is occurred under acidic conditions. Complete removal was observed when a dye solution with the initial concentration of 100 mg L^?1 was treated by 1.0 g of the used adsorbent (PPy/SD) at pH value of 4 and room temperature. However, higher sorption was observed at elevated temperature. According to the kinetics study, it was found that the experimental data fitted very well the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model (k₂ = 0.184 g mg^?1 min^?1). It was found that polypyrrole chemically coated on SD is an efficient system for the removal of carmoisine dye from aqueous solutions. Desorption of the dye‐loaded column was also possible by using dilute NaOH solution with high efficiency (～ 80%). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Treatment of Contaminated Water Laden with 4-Chlorophenol using Coconut Shell Waste-Based Activated Carbon Modified with Chemical Agents

This laboratory study investigates the performances of coconut shell waste-based activated carbon (CSBAC) in removing 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) from contaminated water. To improve its removal for target compound, the surface of CSBAC was modified with TiO₂, NaOH, and/or HNO₃. Under optimized conditions at the same initial concentration of 25 mg/L, the NaOH-treated CSBAC could remove 91% of 4-CP, compared to the HNO₃-oxidized CSBAC (60%) or the TiO₂-coated CSBAC (72%). Although the NaOH-treated CSBAC could remove 91% of 4-CP, the adsorption treatment using this adsorbent alone was unable to meet the effluent limit of lower than 1 mg/L. Therefore, subsequent biological processes are required to complement the removal of 4-CP from wastewater.     

Novel type of alginate gel‐based adsorbents for heavy metal removal

Various alginate gel‐based adsorbents were investigated for the removal of heavy metals: alginate beads, alginate capsules, and alginate gel‐coated adsorbent. Of these, alginate capsules showed the greatest Pb²⁺ uptake capacity of 1560 mg g^?1 of dry sodium alginate, and the alginate gel‐coated adsorbent, prepared simply by forming a thin alginate film on an inert matrix, achieved rapid adsorption equilibrium within 10 min. Adsorbed metals were readily removed from the alginate gel‐based adsorbents using eluents such as HNO₃ and could be reused for up to 10 adsorption–desorption cycles without marked loss of metal uptake capacity. Alginate gel‐coated adsorbents could be prepared in a dried state and have great application potential for the removal of heavy metals from contaminated water. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ultrathin N‐doped carbon‐coated TiO2 coaxial nanofibers as anodes for lithium ion batteries

The structural optimization of TiO₂ materials has a significance for improving the electrochemical performance since TiO₂ suffers from poor electronic conductivity. For this purpose, ultrathin N‐doped carbon‐coated TiO₂ coaxial nanofibers have been designed and synthesized by a facile electrospinning approach. Microstructure analysis indicates that the TiO₂ nanofibers can be coated by the ultrathin carbon layers. Electrochemical tests reveal that the rate performance and cycling ability of TiO₂@C nanofibers have been enhanced obviously. The TiO₂@C6 nanofibers carbonized at 600°C exhibit superior features with a specific discharge capacity of 284 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 100 mA g^?1 after 100 cycles. Besides improved rate performance of 117 mAh g^?1 at a high current density of 2000 mA g^?1 and excellent cycling stability with only about 0.008% capacity loss per cycle were also obtained in the sample TiO₂@C6 after 500 cycles at the current density of 1000 mA g^?1. Such remarkable performance may be ascribed to the unique one‐dimensional nanofibers as flexible carbon matrix.     

Photocatalytic oxidation of treated municipal wastewaters for the removal of phenolic compounds: optimization and modeling using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs)

BACKGROUND: TiO₂ heterogeneous photocatalysis should be optimized before application for the removal of pollutants in treated wastewaters. The response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) were applied to model and optimize the photocatalytic degradation of total phenolic (TPh) compounds in real secondary and tertiary treated municipal wastewaters. RESULTS: RSM was developed by considering a central composite design (CCD) with three input variables, i.e. TiO₂ mass, initial concentration of TPh and irradiation intensity. At the same time a feed‐forward multilayered perceptron ANN trained using back propagation algorithms was used and compared with RSM. Under the optimum conditions established in experiments ([TPh]₀ = 3 mg L^?1; [TiO₂] = 300 mg L^?1; I = 600 W m^?2) the degradation for both TPh and total organic carbon (TOC) followed pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model. Complete degradation of TPh took place in 180 min and reduction of TOC reached 80%. A significant abatement of the overall toxicity was accomplished as revealed by Microtox bioassay. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the variables considered have important effects on TPh removal efficiency. The results demonstrated that the use of experimental design strategy is indispensable for successful investigation and adequate modeling of the process and that ANNs gave better modelling capability than RSM. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of arsenate from ionic mixture by anion exchanger water-soluble polymers combined with ultrafiltration membranes

This study shows the influence of Cl^?, SO₄ ^2?, NO₃ ^?, SiO₃ ^2?, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺ on arsenate removal by anion exchanger polymers using the liquid-phase polymer-based retention (LPR) technique. The LPR was carried out in the presence of anion exchanger soluble polymers containing quaternary ammonium salts. These polymers were characterized by NMR. Compared with As(V) removal from deionized water, the results showed that in the presence of ionic mixture, the As(V) removal capacity decreased. However, P(ClVBTA) showed As(V) removal ability of 91?% when the ionic mixture was used. Polymers with chloride exchanger groups showed a higher ability to remove arsenate than the polymer that contains methyl sulfate as anion exchanger group. At higher arsenate concentration (47.6?mg L^?1), arsenate retention by the water-soluble polymers ranged between 58 and 91?%. This removal capacity increased gradually reaching 100?% retention when the arsenate concentration in the cell was minimum (5.5?mg?L^?1). The values of maximum retention capacity were 264?mg?g^?1 for P(ClMPTA), 260?mg?g^?1 for P(ClVBTA), and 200?mg?g^?1 for P(ClAPTA) at the total filtrate volume of 300?mL. The charge–discharge process found to be suitable for saturate the polymer with As(V) and then eluting As(V) for regenerating the extracting capacity of polymer.     

Effect of sonication assisted by titanium dioxide and ferrous ions on polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxicity removals from a petrochemical industry wastewater in Turkey

BACKGROUND: In Izmir (Turkey) polyaromatic hydracarbon (PAH) removal efficiencies are low in petrochemical industry aerobic biological wastewater treatment plants because bacteria are not able to overcome the inhibition of these toxic and refractory organics. In order to increase PAHs removal, sonication process was chosen among other advanced treatment processes include sonication processes. The effects of ambient conditions, increasing sonication time, sonication temperature, TiO₂ and Fe⁺² concentrations on sonication at a petrochemical industry wastewater treatment plant in Izmir (Turkey) was investigated in a 650 W sonicator, at a frequency of 35 kHz and a 500 mL glass reactor. RESULTS: Increasing the temperature improved PAH removal after 150 min sonication at 30 °C and 60 °C. The maximum total PAH removal efficiencies were the same in a reactor containing 20 mg L^?1 TiO₂ and in a TiO₂‐free reactor at 30 °C and 60 °C after 150 min sonication. Maximum 91% and 97% total PAH removals were obtained in a control reactor and a reactor containing 20 mg L^?1 Fe⁺² at 30 °C and 60 °C, respectively, after 150 min sonication. The PAH concentration was toxic to Daphnia magna, so that the EC₅₀ value decreased significantly from 342.56 ng mL^?1 to EC₅₀ = 9.88 ng mL^?1 and to EC₅₀ = 3.35 ng mL^?1, at the lowest TiO₂ (0.1 mg L^?1) and Fe⁺² (2 mg L^?1) concentrations, respectively, after 150 min sonication at 30 °C. CONCLUSION: PAHs and the acute toxicity in a petrochemical industry wastewater were removed efficiently through sonication. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Double‐functional characteristics of a surface molecular imprinted adsorbent with immobilization of nano‐TiO2

A new chitosan molecular imprinted adsorbent obtained by immobilization of nano‐TiO₂ on the adsorbent surface (surface‐imprinted adsorbent with nano‐TiO₂) was prepared. Based on photocatalytic reaction and the surface molecular imprinting technology, this new kind of surface‐imprinted adsorbent with immobilization of nano‐TiO₂ can not only adsorb template metal ions but can also degrade organic pollutants. The results showed that, after the nano‐TiO₂ was immobilized on the adsorbent surface, the adsorption ability for the imprinted ion (Ni²⁺) of this new imprinted adsorbent immobilized with nano‐TiO₂ was not affected, but the degradation ability for p‐nitrophenol (PNP) of the surface‐imprinted adsorbent with nano‐TiO₂ increased three‐fold compared with that of the surface‐imprinted adsorbent without nano‐TiO₂, from 23.8 to 76.1% (at an initial PNP concentration of 20 mg·dm^?3). The optimal TiO₂ concentration in the adsorbent preparation was 0.025 g·TiO₂ g^?1 adsorbent. The removal capacity for PNP reached 60.25 mg·g^?1 (at 400 mg·dm^?3 initial PNP concentration) under UV irradiation. The surface‐imprinted adsorbent with nano‐TiO₂ can be reused for at least five cycles without decreasing the removal ability for PNP and the imprinted ion (Ni²⁺). Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Degradation of 1‐amino‐4‐bromoanthraquinone‐2‐sulfonic acid using combined airlift bioreactor and TiO2‐photocatalytic ozonation

BACKGROUND: Traditional treatment systems failed to achieve efficient degradation of anthraquinone dye intermediates at high loading. Thus, an airlift internal loop reactor (AILR) in combination with the TiO₂‐photocatalytic ozonation (TiO₂/UV/O₃) process was investigated for the degradaton of 1‐amino‐ 4‐bromoanthraquinone‐2‐ sulfonic acid (ABAS). RESULTS: The AILR using Sphingomonas xenophaga as inoculum and granular activated carbon (GAC) as biocarrier, could run steadily for 4 months at 1000 mg L^?1 of the influent ABAS. The efficiencies of ABAS decolorization and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal in AILR reached about 90% and 50% in 12 h, respectively. However, when the influent ABAS concentration was further increased, a yellow intermediate with maximum absorbance at 447 nm appeared in AILR, resulting in the decrease of the decolorization and COD removal efficiencies. Advanced treatment of AILR effluent indicated that TiO₂/UV/O₃ process more significantly improved the mineralization rate of ABAS bio‐decolorization products with over 90% TOC removal efficiency, compared with O₃, TiO₂/UV and UV/O₃ processes. Furthermore, the release efficiencies of Br^? and SO₄^2? could reach 84.5% and 80.2% during TiO₂/UV/O₃ treatment, respectively, when 91.5% TOC removal was achieved in 2 h. CONCLUSION: The combination of AILR and TiO₂/UV/O₃ was an economic and efficient system for the treatment of ABAS wastewater. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Adsorption Behavior of Platinum Group Metals (Pd,Pt, Rh) on Nonylthiourea‐Coated Fe3O4 Nanoparticles

Abstract

Magnetite nanoparticles coated with nonylthiourea (NTH) were synthesized and analyzed for the separation and recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from diluted aqueous chloride solutions. Physical characterizations of the coated nanoparticles were performed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and FT‐IR Spectrometry. Separation efficiency of the coated nanoparticles and the equilibrium adsorption isotherm of PGMs were investigated. The maximum adsorption was attained in less than 30 minutes, and the maximum loading capacity of NTH‐coated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles for Pt(IV) and Pd(II) was determined to be 10.7 and 8.1 mg g^?1, respectively. The recovery of PGMs from the loaded nanoparticles was examined using different eluting solutions, including HNO₃, thiourea, and NaClO₄.     

Effect of pre‐treatments on the biosorption of Chromium (VI) ions by the dead biomass of Rhizopus arrhizus

BACKGROUND: This work fulfils the need to develop an eco‐friendly biosorbent, elucidating the mechanism of biosorption. Removal of Cr(VI) by Rhizopus arrhizus was investigated in batch mode. Enhancement in the performance of the biosorbent was attempted by pre‐treating the biomass with inorganic and organic acids, chelating agent, cross‐linker and an organic solvent followed by autoclaving. The surface characterization of the biomass was carried out by potentiometric titration, surface area analysis, infrared spectroscopy, chemical modification of the biomass and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: All the physico‐chemical treatments of the biosorbent improved Cr(VI) uptake compared with the native biomass (21.72 mg g^?1). The highest biosorption capacity (31.52 mg g^?1) was achieved after pre‐treating the biomass with 0.5 mol L^?1 HNO₃ followed by autoclaving. Surface characterization of the biomass using pH_zpc, potentiometry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed the role of amino and carboxyl groups in Cr(VI) removal by electrostatic attraction. Chemical modification of amino and carboxyl groups significantly decreased Cr(VI) uptake capacity confirming their role in biosorption. SEM analysis showed adsorption of Cr(VI) on the biosorbent surface. CONCLUSION: Rhizopus arrhizus biomass proved to be an effective and low cost alternative biosorbent for removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Sorption Potential of Styrene‐Divinylbenzene Copolymer Beads for the Decontamination of Lead from Aqueous Media

Abstract

The decontamination of lead ions from aqueous media has been investigated using styrene‐divinylbenzene copolymer beads (St‐DVB) as an adsorbent. Various physico‐chemical parameters such as selection of appropriate electrolyte, contact time, amount of adsorbent, concentration of adsorbate, effect of foreign ions, and temperature were optimized to simulate the best conditions which can be used to decontaminate lead from aqueous media using St‐DVB beads as an adsorbent. The atomic absorption spectrometric technique was used to determine the distribution of lead. Maximum adsorption was observed at 0.001 mol L^?1 acid solutions (HNO₃, HCl, H₂SO₄ and HClO₄) using 0.2 g of adsorbent for 4.83×10^?5 mol L^?1 lead concentration in two minutes equilibration time. The adsorption data followed the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Dubinin‐Radushkevich (D‐R) isotherms over the lead concentration range of 1.207×10^?3 to 2.413×10^?2 mol L^?1. The characteristic Freundlich constants i.e. 1/n=0.164±0.012 and A=2.345×10^?3±4.480×10^?5 mol g^?1 have been computed for the sorption system. Langmuir isotherm gave a saturated capacity of 0.971±0.011 mmol g^?1, which suggests monolayer coverage of the surface. The sorption mean free energy from D‐R isotherm was found to be 18.26±0.75 kJ mol^?1 indicating chemisorption involving chemical bonding for the adsorption process. The uptake of lead increases with the rise in temperature. Thermodynamic parameters i.e. ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS have also been calculated for the system. The sorption process was found to be exothermic. The developed procedure was successfully applied for the removal of lead ions from real battery wastewater samples.     

Potassium hexacyanocobalt ferrate and ammonium molybdophosphate sorption bags for the removal of 137Cs from aqueous solutions and a simulated waste

In the present study, the removal and immobilization of ¹³⁷Cs from aqueous waste solutions and a simulated waste was investigated. Two inorganic ion‐exchange complexes: di‐potassium hexacyanocobalt(II)‐ferrate(II), K₂CoFe(CN)_6·xH₂O (KCFC), and ammonium‐12‐molybdophosphate [(NH₄)₃PMo₁₂O_40·aq] (AMP), were charged separately into porous nylon bags (sorption bags) of 5 µm pore diameter. The first complex (KCFC) was prepared in our laboratory. The second (AMP) was used for comparison. Easy handling and increased potential for reuse characterize the sorption bag technique. The KCFC complex was investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), porosity, infra‐red (IR) and X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD). The chemical and structural investigations revealed that the KCFC complex has adequate ion‐exchange capacity and high affinity for ¹³⁷Cs. The sorption bag technique showed promising results for the removal of ¹³⁷Cs from aqueous waste solutions. The KCFC bags showed the highest ¹³⁷Cs removal (～0.91 g g^?1), at pH 8.5; AMP bags gave the highest ¹³⁷Cs removal (～0.97 g g^?1) in 0.1 N HNO₃ and 1.5 N HNO₃, both with a waste: sorbent ratio of 80 cm³ g^?1. Sorption data for both KCFC and AMP revealed a good fit to the Freundlich sorption isotherm. To assess the potential of sorption bags, the used bags were regenerated in different leachants and reused in further sorption investigations. ¹³⁷Cs recovery from the used sorbents was ～0.46 g g^?1 using 6 N HCl as leachant for AMP, compared with ～0.253 g g^?1 for KCFC using 6 N NaCl. These results indicated stronger cesium immobilization in the KCFC complex. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Sorption capacity of a new generation granular activated carbon—Bio‐Sep® bead—and its use in a suspended growth bioreactor

BACKGROUND: A new generation granular activated carbon—Bio‐Sep® beads—consist of 25% polymer (Nomex) and 75% powdered activated carbon. The porous structure and high surface area of these beads make them suitable for sorbent in adsorption columns, and for immobilization media in bioreactors. The aim of this study was to study the sorption characteristics of Bio‐Sep® beads for methyl t‐butyl ether (MTBE) and t‐butyl alcohol (TBA), and to demonstrate the advantage of their usage in a suspended growth bioreactor. RESULTS: The maximum uptake capacity of Bio‐Sep® beads for MTBE and TBA, in the studied concentration range (10–100 mg L^?1), was observed to be 9.73 and 6.23 mg g^?1, respectively. A 52 h desorption experiment resulted in 13.6–42.2% MTBE and 33–53% TBA desorption corresponding to the initial solid phase concentrations of 1.68–9.73 mg g^?1 and 1.41–6.23 mg g^?1, respectively. The sorption of TBA on the Bio‐Sep® beads was significantly hindered by the presence of MTBE. The addition of 10 g Bio‐Sep® beads (dry weight) in a suspended growth bioreactor was able to eliminate the inhibitory effect of 150 mg L^?1 MTBE. CONCLUSIONS: At an equilibrium aqueous phase concentration (C_e) of 1 mg L^?1, the solid phase concentration (q_e) on Bio‐Sep® beads were observed as 1.44 and 0.47 mg g^?1 for MTBE and TBA, respectively. The results obtained in this study indicate that Bio‐Sep® beads have reasonable sorption and desorption characteristics, which can be successfully exploited for the removal/degradation of toxic organic pollutants in high rate bioreactors. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Batch treatment of saline wastewater by Halanaerobium lacusrosei in an anaerobic packed bed reactor

BACKGROUND: This study considers batch treatment of saline wastewater in an upflow anaerobic packed bed reactor by salt tolerant anaerobic organisms Halanaerobium lacusrosei . RESULTS: The effects of initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration (COD₀ = 1880–9570 mg L^?1), salt concentration ([NaCl] = 30–100 g L^?1) and liquid upflow velocity (V_up = 1.0–8.5 m h^?1) on COD removal from salt (NaCl)‐containing synthetic wastewater were investigated. The results indicated that initial COD concentration significantly affects the effluent COD concentration and removal efficiency. COD removal was around 87% at about COD₀ = 1880 mg L^?1, and efficiency decreased to 43% on increasing COD₀ to 9570 mg L^?1 at 20 g L^?1 salt concentration. COD removal was in the range 50–60% for [NaCl] = 30–60 g L^?1 at COD₀ = 5200 ± .100 mg L^?1. However, removal efficiency dropped to 10% when salt concentration was increased to 100 g L^?1. Increasing liquid upflow velocity from V_up = 1.0 m h^?1 to 8.5 m h^?1 provided a substantial improvement in COD removal. COD concentration decreased from 4343 mg L^?1 to 321 mg L^?1 at V_up = 8.5 m h^?1, resulting in over 92% COD removal at 30 g L^?1 salt‐containing synthetic wastewater. CONCLUSION: The experimental results showed that anaerobic treatment of saline wastewater is possible and could result in efficient COD removal by the utilization of halophilic anaerobic bacteria. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry