ABSTRACT
The experimental data of column test is often analysed using Adam-Bohart, Bed Depth Service Time (BDST), and Thomas model by many researchers (Polowczyk et al. 2013, Sarıcı-Ozdemir 2012). The analysis results of these models commonly expressed in term of adsorption rate constant (L/mg min) and adsorption capacity (mg/g). These models cannot clarify the adsorption mechanism in aqueous solution. However, the simplest method to describe the mechanism of adsorption is using a mass transfer model developed by Fulazzaky (2011). This model is successfully used to analyse the resistance of mass transfer of adsorption in single solute, however its application in the different bed depths of column and multi pollutant solution has still not been studied. This study is aimed at carrying out tests on treatment of conventional oxidation lagoon effluent using the hybrid plug-flow column reactor. The principal objectives are: (i) to study the efficiency of the infiltration-adsorption method to treat NH4+ in batch and column study; and (ii) to explain the
1 INTRODUCTION
The high content of NH4+ in oxidation lagoon effluent is normally released into water bodies. An excessive of NH4+ in the water causes the algal blooms. It is succeeded by rapid algae growth and their subsequent death produced a greenish mucous layer on the surface water and affected to aquatic life. Filtration and adsorption methods can be applied to control NH4+ content in wastewater. The sand filter is widely used to trap organic and inorganic pollutants from water. Healy et al, (2010) compared the removal efficiency of sand, soil and crushed-glass filter in column study. All of the filters removed 100% of TSS, 42% to 65% of COD and over 80% of bacteria numbers. Application of coconut shell activated carbon to remove NH4+ has been verified in batch experiments with optimum conditions of pH 9.0, temperature 283 K, and contact time 120 min (Boopathy et al. 2013). The activated carbon produced from coconut shell has been proved in removing organic and inorganic pollutants from aqueous; however the performance of integrated filters between sand-gravel filter
global, film and porous of mass transfer model at different bed depths in HPFCR.
