Intensification of Cr(VI) adsorption using activated carbon adsorbent modified with ammonium persulfate.

Granular activated carbon has been modified by ammonium persulfate as a new adsorbent for Cr(VI) adsorption from aqueous solutions. The adsorbent was characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm data and infrared spectroscopy. The impact of different factors, such as the initial pH level of the solution, time, temperature, ionic strength, and initial concentration of the Cr(VI) ion, on the adsorption efficiencies of the adsorbent has been studied by batch experiments. Kinetic studies and the adsorption thermodynamics of Cr(VI) with ammonium persulfate-modified activated carbon adsorbent were carefully studied. The results showed that the Cr(VI) adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption reaction is endothermic and spontaneous. The adsorption isotherm was scrutinized, and the fitting results showed that the Langmuir model could well represent the adsorption process. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) onto persulfate-modified activated carbon was 108.69 mg g-1. The research results showed that using persulfate-modified activated carbon adsorbent can greatly remove Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions.

Continuous removal of thorium from aqueous solution using functionalized graphene oxide: study of adsorption kinetics in batch system and fixed bed column.

This article investigated the kinetic studies of thorium adsorption from an aqueous solution with graphene oxide functionalized with aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA) as an adsorbent. First, the AMPA-GO adsorbent was characterized using TEM, XRD, and FTIR methods. Experiments were performed in two batch and continuous modes. In batch mode, adsorption kinetics were studied in different pH (1-4), temperature (298-328 K), initial concentration (50-500 mg L-1), and dosages (0.1-2 g L-1). The results showed that thorium adsorption kinetic follows pseudo-first-order kinetic model and that the adsorption reaction is endothermic. The maximum experimental adsorption capacity of thorium ions was observed 138.84 mg g-1 at a pH of 3, adsorbent dosage of 0.5 g L-1, and a temperature of 328 K. The results showed that AMPA-GO adsorbent can be used seven times with an acceptable change in adsorption capacity. In continuous conditions, the effect of feed flow rate (2-8 mL min-1), initial concentration (50-500 mg L-1), and column bed height (2-8 cm) was investigated. The continuous data was analyzed using the Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and Bohart-Adams models. The experimental data of the column were well matched with the Thomas, and Yoon-Nelson models. The research results showed that the use of functionalized graphene oxide adsorbents has a great ability to remove thorium from aqueous solutions.