Prediction of mass transfer coefficients in a packed bed using tamarind nut shell activated carbon to remove phenol

Phenol is a refractive pollutant that is generated from almost all the types of industries. Removal of phenol can be achieved economically by using a cost effective technique like adsorption on to activated carbon. The present paper reports on the preparation and characterization of activated carbon from tamarind nutshell, an agricultural waste byproduct, and its use in a packed bed for the removal of phenol. The breakthrough curves for column sorption of phenol from aqueous solutions to TNSAC have been measured at various flow rates and different particle sizes at 28 degrees C. The results obtained showed that the sorption of phenol is dependent on both the flow rate and the particle size of the adsorbent, and that the breakpoint time and phenol removal yield decrease with increasing flow rate and particle size. The overall mass transfer coefficient is calculated from the experimental data and compared with the values obtained from the correlation. Experimental values are in excellent agreement with the predicted values from the correlation.