Potential of environmental-friendly, agro-based material Strychnos potatorum, as an adsorbent, in the treatment of paint industry effluent

The study was focused on, to make use of the agro-based material Strychnos potatorum as an adsorbent, for the treatment of simulated water-based paint industry effluent (PIE) in a fixed-bed adsorption column (FBC). The influence of bed height, flow rate, and initial concentration of PIE were evaluated in terms of color removal efficiency. The highest color removal was achieved at a larger breakthrough time, and lengthier mass transfer zone was viewed at the lowest flow rate, lowest initial concentration, and highest bed height used in this study. For a successful design of a FBC, breakthrough curves were made and the experimental data were fitted using well-established models such as: Thomas/Bed depth service time (BDST), Adams-Bohart, Yoon-Nelson, and Wang. From the plot of these models, parameters like adsorption capacity and rate constants were calculated. Mass transfer models like Weber-Morris, Boyd, Urano-Tachkawa, and Mathews-Weber were applied to identify the rate-limiting step of the overall adsorption process. All the model parameter values, which are the basis for the process design at a real scale were calculated. On the basis of the results obtained in this study, it was suggested that the agro-based material S. potatorum, affirmed its positive potentiality and could be used economically and effectively, as an adsorbent in the treatment of hazardous PIE.