Abstract |
Design of full-scale adsorption systems typically includes expensive and time-consuming pilot studies to simulate full-scale adsorber performance. Accordingly, the rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) was developed and evaluated experimentally. The RSSCT can simulate months of full-scale adsorber operation in several days without extensive isotherm and kinetic data. The disperse-flow, pore- surface-diffusion model (DFPSDM) was used to determine the scaling factors because the DFPSDM includes most of the important phenomena that occur in fixed-bed adsorbers. Using these scaling relationships, similar breakthrough profiles for the RSSCT and full-scale adsorber are expected when they are compared in terms of the number of bed volumes that were fed. Experimental RSSCT breakthrough profiles for a six solute mixture at influent concentrations between 3000 -6000 micro gram/l were found to be identical to those of a pilot-scale column test. |