Removal of Denim Blue from Aqueous Solutions by Inorganic Adsorbents in a Fixed-Bed Column

Water Air Soil Pollut (2012) 223:55055513 DOI 10.1007/s11270-012-1299-x

Removal of Denim Blue from Aqueous Solutions by Inorganic Adsorbents in a Fixed-Bed Column

E. Gutirrez-Segura & A. Coln-Cruz &

M. Solache-Ros & C. Fall

Received: 9 May 2012 /Accepted: 15 August 2012 /Published online: 5 September 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Abstract The adsorption behavior of denim blue from aqueous solutions in column systems, using both carbonaceous material and Fe-zeolitic tuff (Fe-Z), was determined. The breakthrough data obtained for denim blue adsorption were fitted to the empty-bed contact time, BohartAdams, Thomas, and YoonNelson models. The parameters such as breakthrough and saturation times, bed volumes, kinetic constants, adsorption capacities, and adsorbent usage rates (AUR) were determined. The results show that the breakthrough time increases proportionally with increasing bed height, but it decreases as the kinetic constant increases. The adsorption capacity for denim blue for carbonaceous material was higher than Fe-Z. AUR was lower for carbonaceous material than Fe-Z. The results indicated that the carbonaceous material from

pyrolysis of sewage sludge is a good adsorbent for denim blue removal.

Keywords Adsorption . Packed bed . Scale-up . Zeolites . Mathematical modeling . Denim blue

1 Introduction

The removal of dyes from wastewaters is an issue of great social and environmental importance; some of them may be toxic/carcinogenic due to large-scale production and extensive applications that their presence in water causes phenomena such as eutrophication, underoxygenation, color alteration, and odor alteration, as well as persistence and long-term bioaccumulation. The large release of dyeing wastewaters into the environment, mainly from the textile industry, is a dramatic source of esthetic pollution and perturbation of aquatic life, and this represents a major concern because dyestuffs cannot be destroyed by conventional treatments (Errais et al. 2011).

Dyes are considered to be particularly dangerous organic compounds for the environment. Around 10,000 different synthetic organic dyes (with 7105

1106 tons) are produced annually, and approximately 15 % is lost in the manufacturing and application processes by the textile industry (Errais et al. 2011; Demirbas 2009; Rafatullah et al. 2010).

Dyes are conformed by two main components: chromophores and auxochromes. Chromophores

E. Gutirrez-Segura : M. Solache-Ros (*)

Departamento de Qumica, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares,A.P. 18-1027, Col. Escandn, Delegacin Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11801 Mxico,...