Experimental and calculated breakthrough behavior in water purification by fixed bed activated carbon

Adsorption on activated carbon fixed bed has been proved to be an efficient and useful technology for purification of water contaminated by polluting and micro-polluting organic compounds. For this reason, experimental rates of adsorption of phenol, used as representative compound, from aqueous solutions were measured at 298 K by using a fixed bed laboratory apparatus, up to the solid phase practical saturation. These data were used along with previously measured solid-liquid equilibrium data for the same system at the same temperature in order to predict quantitatively the behaviour of a fixed bed adsorption process and, consequently, to scale-up the laboratory results for the design of an industrial fixed bed adsorption system. In particular, the numerical value of the overall mass transfer coefficient, K(y)a(p), was calculated and it is reported along with: (a) all the relevant experimental information and (b) the description of the model along with of its performance.