| dc.description.abstract | The presence of heavy metals (HMs) in the
environment is of major concern. To address this issue, the
adsorption process using activated charcoal (AC) stands
out as one of the most efficient and economical methods.
Among HMs, Cu pollution in water resources poses a
serious threat and effective removal is of prime
importance. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness
of commercially available AC in removing Cu(II) from
aqueous solutions. This was evaluated considering various
experimental conditions through a column study. The
breakthrough curves and associated parameters were
detected by altering the bed depths (2, 4, and 6 cm),
maintaining an initial metal concentration of 100 mg/L,
and using a flow rate of 2.5 mL/min. During the process of
Cu (II) removal using AC, the breakthrough points for bed
depths of 2, 4, and 6 cm were achieved at 15, 25, and 40
min, the exhaustion points at 210, 330, and 840 min,
respectively. Three kinetics models were utilized to analyse
the adsorption kinetics. Only the first part of breakthrough
curves is described by the Adams–Bohart model. The
adsorption process is represented by the Yoon-Nelson and
Thomas models, which have coefficients of determination
(R2
) that range from 0.92 to 0.95. The good fit of two
models implies that the rate-controlling mechanisms are
well captured by these models. Maximum Thomas uptake
capacity was achieved up to 951.4, 386.9, and 480.4 mg/g,
for bed depths of 2, 4, and 6 cm, respectively. This study
demonstrated that using AC contributes to achieving the
objectives of sustainable development. The good fit can be
used to optimize the design and operation of adsorption
columns. Future work could focus on extending the current
study by preparing activated charcoal from low-cost,
environmentally friendly materials, thereby contributing to
sustainable environmental practices. | en_US |
