A REVIEW OF THE MODELING OF SORPTION FROM AQUEOUS-SOLUTION

Processes by which chemical species are lost from aqueous solution to the surface of a solid are of fundamental importance in many areas, such as pollution control. Modelling sorption at a solid/solution interface is difficult because of the complexity of the processes involved. The amount of species adsorbed is dependent on the nature of the solvent-solute interactions in the solution phase and in the interfacial region, as well as on their interactions with the adsorbent. There are additional problems in modelling systems outside the laboratory as the solid surfaces and solution conditions may not be well characterised. In this paper, a literature review of modelling adsorption from aqueous solutions is presented. The assumptions made in the derivations of the models have been examined in detail and the importance of these assumptions in applying the model to non-laboratory systems has been discussed. © 1990.