Column studies on sorption of Cr (VI) from aqueous and electroplating wastewater using acid-treated marine brown algae Sargassum myriocystum

In this study, enhancement of Cr (VI) sorption capacity of acid-treated Sargassum myriocystum algal biomass in a packed-bed adsorption column was investigated. Metal solution having pH 5.2, Temperature 308.15 K, and initial concentration of 100 mg/L is pumped upward through the column at a preferred flow rate. Sorption of metal is studied at various bed heights and flow rates. The height of bed is varied from 5.0 cm to 25.0 cm and observed that highest height of bed (25.0 cm) removes maximum amount of metal. Flow rate effect is also studied by changing the rate of flow range from 10.0 to 20.0 mL/min. It is observed that removal efficiency is higher at 10.0 mL/min. Continuous experimental data are fitted using bed depth service time (BDST), Thomas, Adams-Bohart, Yoon-Nelson and Clark model, and high correlation coefficient values confirm the validity of the models. Sorption of Cr (VI) using acid-treated Sargassum myriocystum is obtained in the form of breakthrough curves (C/Co vs. t). The percentage removal and uptake capacity for aqueous and electroplating wastewater were found to be 53.57% and 31.57 mg/g, 31.93% and 16.8 mg/g, respectively.