Treatment of coke oven effluent using copper impregnated activated carbon: experiment and modelling

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the present study, plywood dust has been used as precursor to prepare activated carbon and copper as impregnating agent. Two methods have been employed to impregnate copper in activated carbon such as carbonisation with solid copper chloride salt and with copper chloride solution. The comparative studies between these two samples on removal of both cyanide and phenol have showed that impregnation with solid copper chloride gives better result. Response surface methodology (RSM) has been employed to optimise carbonisation vis-a-vis copper impregnation condition and the sample prepared at optimum condition is termed as copper impregnated activated carbon (CIAC). A comparative study between activated carbon without impregnation, commercial activated carbon and CIAC has showed that CIAC is more efficient in cyanide removal than other two adsorbents. Kinetic study has been done with the simulated solution of cyanide and phenol separately with CIAC by varying solution concentrations and weight of the adsorbent. RSM has also been used to optimise the removal of cyanide and phenol from the simulated coke oven effluent containing phenol and cyanide in varying proportions. Finally, real coke oven effluent has been treated with CIAC and the percentage removals of both cyanide and phenol have been examined.