Adsorption process modeling to reduce COD by activated carbon for wastewater treatment

Abstract

Investigations have been carried out on the utilization of Activated Carbon (AC) in adsorption processes for the wastewater treatment of industry and municipal. Sulfides materials, phenols and furfural is a toxic compounds in wastewater from refineries can adversely affect the performance of biological aeration basins in reducing COD levels. This work aims to provide the effectiveness of AC in reducing the COD level of the effluent from the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit to meet standards of environments protecting and pass the design of wastewater treatment plants. A dynamic adsorption model was developed based on the dispersion of axial in the AC packed bed, assuming that the LDF (linear driving force) model in to the adsorbents is agreed to mass transfer. The model's predictions of chemical oxygen demand breakthrough curve concentrations showed excellent agreement with experimental data. The sensitivity analysis of operational conditions such as flow rate, inlet concentration of COD and bed length was used to gain a better understanding of the optimal design of an AC fixed bed. The results suggest that an AC fixed bed can complement biological treatment of wastewater and address the challenges faced by biological basins in oil refineries.