Modelling of a fixed bed adsorption column for waste water treatment

A fixed bed adsorption column for purification of waste water from textile fibres colouring has been studied. All investigations were performed under dynamic conditions at a constant temperature on united collective composite waste water samples. A natural zeolite was used as the adsorbent. The mathematical model of the fixed bed adsorption column, used for computer simulation, is based on mass balance of the column and mass balance of a particle in the column. The positions and shape of the breakthrough curve profile depend on several factors, including the physical and chemical properties of both the sorbate and sorbent, the influent concentration of sorbate, the particular rate limiting mechanism, the nature of the equilibrium conditions, the height of the column and the flow rate. The relative effects of these factors are highly specific to a particular sorbent-sorbate system which constitutes one of the major difficulties in designing such a process.