Batch and packed bed techniques for adsorptive aqueous phase removal of selected phenoxyacetic acid herbicide using sugar industry waste ash

Abstract

Abstract Batch and packed bed adsorption of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) herbicide was performed using bagasse fly ash (BFA) as an adsorbent. In batch process, characteristics of adsorbent, and the influence of adsorbent dosage, initial herbicide concentration, time, pH, particle size of adsorbent and temperature on adsorption were studied. Results disclose higher removal of MCPA on bigger particles of BFA owing to higher specific surface area because of greater carbon and lesser silica percentage in bigger particles. Application of isotherm models in present study indicates the best fitting of Langmuir and Temkin isotherms whereas the kinetic models suggest the suitability of pseudo second order and Elovich models. Thermodynamic study specifies the temperature preferred adsorption process. In packed bed technique, the effect of influent concentration, flow rate and bed height were investigated. The deactivation kinetic model which was previously considered only for studies in gas-solid adsorption is applied in this study to solid-liquid adsorption along with conventional packed bed models. In packed bed study, Bohart-Adams and Wolborska models are appropriate to explain the experimental data upto 60% saturation of the column. The deactivation kinetic model is found the best to elucidate the nature of breakthrough curves till the complete saturation of column. Batch capacity and packed bed capacity per m2 specific surface area of BFA is found about two and three times greater than the previously used adsorbents for MCPA respectively.