Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 6 (2018) 5204–5211

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Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

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Removal of dyes from aqueous solution by sorption with fly ash using a T

hydrocyclone
⁎
Gayatree Patraa, , Raja Barnwala, Sushanta K. Beheraa, B.C. Meikapa,b
a
Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721 302, India
b
Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Howard College, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4041, South Africa

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Methyl orange is an anionic water-soluble carcinogenic azo dye. Excessive dye concentration in water is a major
Dye health concern worldwide. In this current study, experiments have been conducted to remove methyl orange
Methyl orange from aqueous solution using fly ash as an adsorbent in a continuous mode by using a hydrocyclone. A spiral rib
Fly ash has been introduced in the cylindrical part of the conventional hydrocyclone to increase the performance and
Ribbed hydrocyclone
this hydrocyclone is called as a ribbed hydrocyclone. Experiments were carried out to analyse the performance of
Efficiency
particle separation and dye removal efficiency of the ribbed hydrocyclone. The cut size d50 of the ribbed hy-
drocyclone was 21 μm at a slurry flow rate of 50 LPM. Maximum methyl orange removal efficiency was 66% for
the initial concentration of 60 mg/l for the dose of 2 g/l at a slurry flow rate of 50 LPM. The novelty of the
current study revealed that the ribbed hydrocyclone is more efficient than conventional one and it could be used
for the removal of both fly ash and methyl orange in a continuous mode.

1. Introduction applications in industries where it is mostly used for colouration [6]. It

Dyes and pigments are used by the textile, paper and pulp, printing,
pharmaceutical, cosmetics, tanneries, electroplating and food proces-
sing industries among a plethora of other industries to colour the pro-
ducts. The textile industry, in particular, is one of the largest industries
in India that heavily depends on the usage of dyes for colouration of
fibres. It is estimated that the total dye consumption in the textile in-
dustry worldwide is around 107 kg/year. About 90% of this amount
gets used on fabrics consequently discharging about 103 tonnes/year of
dyes into waste streams [1]. Due to the increasing usage of dyes in the
industries, and inefficiencies of the conventional methods of waste-
water treatment at low dye concentrations, dyes easily find their way to
reach the water bodies affecting the quality of water and eventually
posing a threat to aquatic life and ecosystem [2]. Apart from affecting
the aesthetic nature of water, dyes also reduce the photosynthetic ac-
tivity of water bodies by interfering with the transmission of sunlight
[3]. Dyes are produced from hazardous chemicals like benzidine; some
dyes are even carcinogenic and mutagenic. Azo dyes, in general, are
well-known carcinogens [4].
Methyl orange (MO) has been chosen in this study owing to their
toxic nature and wide applications in various industries. Methyl orange
is an anionic water-soluble azo dye [5]. It has a complex molecular
structure, with a eN]Ne bond, and is inherently stable. It has
is also used in research facilities as a pH indicator owing to its weak
acid behaviour. Effect of ingestion of methyl orange and consequent
intestinal enzymatic activities have been studied in rats, and the dye
has shown to increase their azo reductase activities [7]. Methyl orange,
upon ingestion, is metabolized into carcinogenic aromatic amines by
intestinal microorganisms [8]. Though the toxic effects of methyl or-
ange are still under research, there is no denying the fact that its pre-
sence in high content in the living systems can be harmful to flora and
fauna. Therefore, removal of hazardous dyes like methyl orange from
wastewater is crucial for a healthy ecosystem.
Numerous treatment techniques (physical, chemical and biological)
have been proposed to remove dyes from wastewater [9]. These tech-
niques include ion-exchange [10], coagulation-flocculation [11,12],
membrane filtration [13,14], electrochemical treatment [15], electro-
lytic treatment [16], biodegradation [17,18], photocatalytic degrada-
tion [19], solar degradation [20], sonochemical and sonocatalytic de-
gradation [21,22], UV-H2O2 degradation [23], and adsorption [24–26].
The main disadvantage of membrane filtration is fouling [27], and dyes
are not easily degraded with light and oxidation reactions [28]. Ad-
sorption is by far the most preferred technique as it is economically
efficient and applicable at even low concentrations of the dye. All other
treatment methods have found to have one or more limitations re-
garding cost, design and dye removal efficiency. For methyl orange, in

⁎
Corresponding author at: Chemical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, West Bengal, India.
E-mail address: gayatree@che.iitkgp.ernet.in (G. Patra).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2018.08.011
Received 20 April 2018; Received in revised form 24 July 2018; Accepted 4 August 2018
Available online 08 August 2018
2213-3437/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
G. Patra et al.
particular, adsorption on tailored silica gels [29], mesoporous carbon
material [30], de-oiled soya and bottom ash [31], activated carbon
derived from Phragmites australis [32], surfactant modified silkworm
exuviate [33], coal fly ash [34], ultrafine coal powder [35], and cel-
lulose-based wastes [36] have been explored.
Indian coal has high ash content, and burning coal is predominantly
used for thermal power generation leads to excess production of fly ash
as a by-product [37,38]. Out of the total fly ash produced, it is esti-
mated that less than 10% (in India) and 25% (globally) is utilized [39].
This has led to an excess of fly ash being directly disposed of in landfills.
With increasing costs of disposal and possible leaching of toxic mate-
rials from fly ash to soil, ground and surface water [40], new methods
are being explored to utilize the abundantly available fly ash. There-
fore, fly ash being efficient, cheap and easily available, that is used in
the current study.
Though many researchers have delved into the study of adsorption
kinetics and equilibrium in batch mode, few studies have been under-
taken to analyse adsorption in the continuous mode. Adsorption of dyes
on various agricultural wastes in a fixed bed column [41] and con-
tinuous stirred reactors [42] has been studied. Hydrocyclone has been
used for separation of dyes by ash particles [43] and fluoride by alu-
mina [44]. Hydrocyclones are less energy intensive, have high opera-
tional reliability and are simple in construction. Owing to the ad-
vantages mentioned above, hydrocyclones are widely used to separate
particulates from the liquid. Hydrocyclone performance can be im-
proved by controlling the inside turbulence structure of the hydro-
cyclone. So, a spiral rib is introduced inside the cylindrical part of the
hydrocyclone to increase the performance of the hydrocyclone [45,46].
This hydrocyclone is named as a ribbed hydrocyclone. This ribbed
hydrocyclone is used for removal of methyl orange in a continuous
process.
In this study, ribbed hydrocyclone is used to separate dyes, methyl
orange with the help of fly ash adsorbent. The effects of initial con-
centration of dyes and fly ash doses on removal efficiency have been
investigated in a hydrocyclone. Considering the advantages regarding
power requirement, maintenance and cost, hydrocyclone was chosen to
remove both adsorbent and consequently the dye, as particulate and
dye is a common problem in some industries. Fly ash is cheap and easily
available. Therefore, it does not need regeneration, and hence it has
been preferred over other costly adsorbents.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Adsorbate: methyl orange
Methyl orange, an azo-dye, was chosen as the adsorbate. It has the
molecular formula C14H14N3NaO3S and a molar mass of 327.33 g/mol.
Its chemical structure is depicted in Fig. 1. For the experiment, a stock
solution of 1000 mg/l was prepared by dissolving the required amount
of the dye in distilled water. This stock solution was then diluted to
obtain the required concentrations. UV/VIS spectrophotometer,
Lambda 35, Perkin Elmer was used to measure the concentration of dye
in aqueous solution. λmax ( = 461.7 nm) is where maximum absorbance
was recorded. A calibration curve was plotted in the range of 1–20 mg/l
to measure the unknown concentration of dye sample. The sample was
diluted (ten times) to fit in the calibration curve, and resultant con-
centration was multiplied by ten times to get the exact concentration of
the dye sample.
Fig. 1. Structure of methyl orange.
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Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 6 (2018) 5204–5211
2.2. Adsorbent: fly ash
Fly ash is an easily available adsorbent. For the present study, it was
obtained from Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant, West Bengal, India. Some
soluble organic matter may present in the collected fly ash. So the fly
ash sample was washed with distilled water several times to remove any
soluble matter present in the sample. The sample was then dried in a
hot air oven for 24 h at 100 °C. Fly ash mostly consists of oxides which
do not show any degradation at 100 °C. The dried sample was then
stored in air-tight desiccators for further use in the experiment.
2.3. Reagents
The Chemicals used in this research were NaOH and HCl. The
concentrations of NaOH and HCl were 97% (by weight), and 35% (by
volume) respectively. All the chemicals used in the study were obtained
from LOBA Chemie Laboratory, Mumbai, India.
2.4. Experimental method
The experimental set up is shown in Fig. 2. The experimental setup
comprises a hydrocyclone, centrifugal pump, and supply and collection
tanks. Rotameter has been used to measure the rate of slurry flow into
the hydrocyclone, and gate valves were used to regulate the flow. The
hydrocyclone used for the present study consists of a cylindrical and a
conical part. The hydrocyclone was made of Perspex material and a
diameter of 15.24 cm. It was equipped with ribs, made up of stainless
steel to enhance the fly ash separation efficiency. The length of conical
and cylindrical parts was 22.8 cm and 38.1 cm respectively. The top of
hydrocyclone was a flat head with an arrangement for the overflow.
The overflow pipe is also called as the vortex finder. The vortex finder
having a diameter of 3.81 cm protruded 7.6 cm into the hydrocyclone
from the top. The apex was 2.54 cm in diameter. The Liquid was in-
jected from the top of the hydrocyclone. The height and width of the
inlet tube was 5.08 cm and 2.54 cm respectively. A spiral rib made up of
stainless steel was introduced in the cylindrical part of the hydro-
cyclone. The spiral rib was fixed to the wall of the hydrocyclone with a
thin joint in such a way that the flow field inside the hydrocyclone
effect was minimum. Width and thickness of the strip are 0.8 cm and
0.2 cm respectively.
Three channels were provided in the experimental setup for feed
slurry, overflow and underflow. A large tank (T1) was used to store feed
while a comparatively smaller tank (T2) was used to collect underflow.
The overflow was collected through tank T3. The capacity of the larger
and smaller tank was 1000 litres and 500 litres respectively. The slurry
was pumped into the hydrocyclone through a centrifugal pump (P), and
the flow was regulated via in-line gate valve (V1) between feed tank and
centrifugal pump and bypass line gate valve (V2). Rotameter has been
installed to measure the total inlet volumetric flow rate of feed slurry
into the hydrocyclone. The resultant separation of particles in a hy-
drocyclone is the result of swirling flow due to the tangential entry of
feed. The swirling motion produces a centrifugal force that acts on the
liquid as well as on the suspended particles. The larger the tangential
velocity of feed, greater is the centrifugal field generated in the hy-
drocyclone. The suspended particles are subjected to centrifugal and
drag forces in the radial direction and move relative to the liquid owing
to its different density. The heavier particles are pushed to the wall by
the primary vortex, then swept to the apex of the conical section of the
hydrocyclone and discharged from the bottom of the hydrocyclone. The
lighter particles are carried by the secondary vortex and driven out
from the top, as overflow stream. The hydrocyclone was open to the
atmosphere. Air is, therefore, sucked into the hydrocyclone through the
apex and leads to the formation of air core. The pressure at the liquid-
air interface at the axis is equal to the atmospheric pressure assuming
that the surface tension and viscous forces are neglected.
The feed tank was filled with water, and fly ash was added to the
G. Patra et al. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 6 (2018) 5204–5211

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of experimental setup.

required amount to get the desired concentration. This slurry was then
pumped to the hydrocyclone, and the underflow and overflow samples
were collected for analysis. The feed slurry tank was sufficient in ca-
pacity to support continuous flow to the hydrocyclone.
Similarly, prepared methyl orange, fly ash adsorbent and water
were used to analyse dye removal efficiency. The feed tank was suffi-
ciently filled before the experiment with the desired concentrations of
adsorbent and adsorbate. The temperature and pH of the slurry was
25 °C and 8.5, respectively. The experiment was run immediately to
minimize adsorption during the idle state of the experiment. Samples of
overflow were collected and filtered using borosilicate glass microfiber
filter paper of required mesh size to separate fly ash adsorbents. The
samples were then analyzed.
By knowing the methyl orange dye concentration at inlet and
overflow, the efficiency of separation of the dye can be calculated by
using the following equation
cMO, inlet − cMO, overflow Fig. 3. Oxides of fly ash.
ηMO = × 100
cMO, inlet (1)
Where ηMO the collection efficiency of methyl is orange, cMO, inlet is the
concentration of dye at the inlet (mg/l), and cMO, overflow is the con-
centration of dye at the overflow.

2.5. Characterization of adsorbent

2.5.1. XRF analysis

The chemical composition of fly ash has been measured by XRF (X-
Ray Fluorescence) analysis. This method of analysis measures the
composition of the sample in elemental and oxide form with the desired
accuracy. The composition of fly ash adsorbent was analyzed by XRF
spectrometer (PANalytical AXIOS XRF spectrometer, Netherlands). For
the analysis, a pellet was prepared first by thoroughly mixing a 4 g of
the sample and 2 g of boric acid powder and then pressured into the
desired shape with the help of a hydraulic pelleting machine. The
composition of fly ash adsorbent in the oxide form is shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 4. Fly ash particle size distribution of feed.

2.5.2. Malvern analysis

Particle size distribution of fly ash adsorbent has been determined analysis. For the analysis, a size range of 0.1–1000 μm covers the entire
by Malvern particle size analyzer. Malvern Mastersizer 2000 supplied distribution of fly ash particles. The differential and integral particle
by Malvern Instruments Ltd., Malvern, UK has been used for the particle size distribution of fly ash are shown in Fig. 4.
size analysis. Water has been used as the dispersing medium for the

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Fig. 5. Adsorption and desorption studies of ash.
2.5.3. BET analysis
The pore structure of fly ash was characterized using N2 adsorption
technique. Key parameters like the BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller)
surface area, pore size distribution and total pore volume were de-
termined with the help of adsorption/desorption isotherms of nitrogen
at its boiling point (−194 °C) by AUTOSORB-1, Quantachrome instru-
ment, Boynton Beach, Florida, USA. Density functional theory is a re-
liable approach to analyse the ground state of a many-body system, like
the atoms and molecules in matter, and compute its electronic struc-
ture. Fly ash was degassed at 200 °C in vacuum for a minimum of 4 h
before subjecting to gas adsorption measurements. Standard BET
equation was applied in the relative pressure range of 0.05-0.3 to cal-
culate the BET surface area. Total pore volume was calculated when all
pore was filled with nitrogen gas at a relative pressure of 0.98. The
adsorption-desorption isotherm for fly ash is shown in Fig. 5.
The N2 adsorption isotherm depicts significant uptake of N2 at low-
pressure region and suggests the presence of micropores in the fly ash
sample. The average pore diameter of fly ash adsorbent is 135.4 Å. The
total surface area and pore volume for the sample were measured to be
1.18 m2/g and 0.0037 cc/g. The DFT result from Fig. 6 shows that most
of the surface area is due to pore width up to 200 Å.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Hydrocyclone performance for particle separation
y − Rf
yc = × 100 The performance of hydrocyclone for fly ash
100 − Rf
Fig. 6. Determination of pore size distribution of fly ash using DFT.
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Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 6 (2018) 5204–5211
Fig. 7. Partition coefficient of ash particle for a particle concentration of 0.5 g/l
at a flow rate of 50 LPM for the ribbed hydrocyclone.
separation has been analyzed. Experiments were conducted at flow
rates of 30, 40 and 50 LPM. The hydrocyclone performance was ana-
lyzed by using partition coefficient. Partition coefficient is the weight %
of fly ash of each particle size present in the feed that is reported to the
underflow of the hydrocyclone. By knowing the slurry flow rate, density
and particle size distribution of feed, overflow and underflow, the
weight % of fly ash in the feed and underflow for a particular size was
calculated. The partition curve is plotted between the particle size and
weight % of fly ash present in the underflow. Corrected partition
coefficient yc is calculated from partition coefficient (y) by the equation
y − Rf
yc = × 100
100 − Rf (2)
Where Rf is flow ratio, defined as the percentage of water in the feed
that is discharged from the underflow.
The partition curve or Tromp curve shows the fraction of particles of
a particular size feed to the hydrocyclone that is present in the under-
flow. The partition curve of the ribbed hydrocyclone for the fly ash of
0.5 g/l at a flow rate of 50 LPM is shown in Fig. 7. The cut size (d50) for
different slurry flow rates across the conventional hydrocyclone for fly
ash were experimentally evaluated from partition curves.
An effective method of evaluating hydrocyclone separation effi-
ciency is cut size diameter (d50). 50% of particles that have the size
equal to the cut size diameter are reported in the underflow. In other
words, particles having cut size diameter have 50% probability of going
to the underflow from the feed. Particles having a diameter larger than
cut size are separated from the feed with > 50% efficiency and move to
the underflow. Thus, a smaller cut size means even the small particles
can be removed from the feed stream with better efficiency.
The d50 values were also calculated using Bradley’s correlations
given in Eq. (3) for conventional hydrocyclone and compared with the
results obtained from experiments [47].
0.5
D3 μ
d50 = 4.5 ⎜⎛ 1.2 c ⎞
⎟
⎝ Q (ρs − ρl ) ⎠ (3)
Where d50 is the cut size diameter in μm, Dc is the hydrocyclone dia-
meter in cm, Q is the inlet flow rate in LPM, μ is the water viscosity in
centipoises, ρs and ρl are the density of fly ash and density of water in g/
cm3.
The flow rate was changed from 30 LPM to 50 LPM, and its effect on
d50 was studied for conventional and ribbed hydrocyclone. Fig. 8 shows
the effect of flow rate on cut size d50 for conventional hydrocyclone and
its comparison with d50 values obtained from Bradley’s correlation. The
experimental d50 of the conventional hydrocyclone is higher than the
value calculated by Bradley’s correlation. This deviation may be due to
G. Patra et al. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 6 (2018) 5204–5211

Fig. 8. Effect of inlet flow rate on cut size, d50 of ash particle for the conven- Fig. 10. Effect of adsorbent dose (fly ash) on methyl orange removal.
tional hydrocyclone.
methyl orange. By obtaining the dye concentration of inlet and outlet
streams, the dye removal efficiency was calculated using Eq. (1). The
effect of adsorbent dosage on methyl orange removal has been shown in
Fig. 10. It is observed from the Fig. 10 that methyl orange removal %
increases with increase in fly ash adsorbent dose as the adsorbing sites
increase with an increase in doses [49]. Increasing the concentration of
adsorbent doses increases the free spaces available for dye adsorption
hence more methyl orange particles are adsorbed on the free surfaces
which enhances the removal efficiency. Methyl orange removal effi-
ciency increases from 54% to 66% with the increase in dose con-
centration from 0.5 g/l to 2 g/l for 60 ppm initial concentration of the
dye.

3.2.2. Effect of initial concentration of methylene orange dye

The effect of initial methyl orange concentration for the dye re-
moval has been studied. The dye concentration was varied from 60 ppm
to 120 ppm. The effect of varying dye concentration at a flow rate of 50
LPM is shown in Fig. 11. It is observed from the Fig. 11 that the dye
Fig. 9. Effect of rib on cut size diameter (d50).
removal efficiency decreases with increase in initial dye concentration.
The efficiency decreased from 54% to 28.8% for an increase in dye
concentration from 60 ppm to 120 ppm for the adsorbent doses of 0.5 g/
the real-time handling of experimental setup that may have led to some l.
non-ideal situations and errors. The d50 values of the ribbed hydro-
cyclone are lower than the conventional hydrocyclone as is inferred
from Fig. 9. The efficiency increases with increase in flow rate, due to
decrease in d50 values for both the hydrocyclones [48]. The efficiency
of the ribbed hydrocyclone was higher than the conventional hydro-
cyclone for the same geometry and operational condition due to the
lower d50 values for ribbed hydrocyclone.

3.2. Hydrocyclone performance for methyl orange removal

3.2.1. Effect of adsorbent dosage

The effect of dosage ranges from 0.5 g/l to 2 g/l for the flow rate of
30–50 LPM for dye concentration of 60 ppm to 120 ppm was studied.
Known concentrations (60–120 ppm) of dye were prepared for the
study of effect of adsorbent dosage on dye removal efficiency. Samples
were collected from inlet and overflow streams for the analysis of
methyl orange concentration. The sampling from the inlet section
helped in keeping a check on the concentration of prepared solution
and ensured that sample were prepared with accurate concentration.
The samples were then filtered, and the filtrate was measured using UV-
VIS spectrophotometer (Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy or ultraviolet-
visible spectrophotometry). The concentration was calculated with the
help of calibration chart prepared using known concentrations of Fig. 11. Effect of initial concentration on methyl orange removal.

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G. Patra et al.
Fig. 12. Equilibrium adsorption isotherm.
3.3. Adsorption isotherm equilibrium
The adsorption equilibrium isotherm study is important for the
understanding of the adsorption mechanism. Several isotherm models
were used to describe the equilibrium adsorption characteristics. In the
present study, the equilibrium data for the methyl orange adsorption on
fly ash was applied to both Langmuir and Freundlich models. These two
models are widely used because these models are suitable for a large
variation of concentrations.
The Langmuir adsorption isotherm can be expressed by equilibrium
concentration (ce) as
kl bce
qe =
1 + bce
Where kl (maximum adsorption capacity) and b are the Langmuir
constant and energy constant respectively, and qe is the adsorbent
phase retaining the methyl orange concentration. qe is calculated by
using the equation
Fig. 13. FTIR analysis of fly ash and MO adsorbed fly ash.
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 6 (2018) 5204–5211
ci − ce
qe = v
w (5)
ci is the initial MO concentration in the solution (mg/l), ce is the
equilibrium concentration, w is the weight of the adsorbent in gram and
v is the volume in litres. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm is shown
in Fig. 12. The Langmuir model is fitted in the equilibrium adsorption
isotherm data and the isotherm data is fitted well for the Langmuir
adsorption isotherm (R2 = 0.99). The fittings to the Langmuir model
suggested that the surface is homogeneous and limited to monolayer
adsorption.
The Freundlich adsorption isotherm is expressed as
q e = kc1/
e
n
(6)
Where ce is the equilibrium MO concentration (mg/l), qe is the ad-
sorption capacity (mg/g), k is a measure of adsorption capacity and 1/n
is the adsorption intensity. The Freundlich adsorption model was fitted
in the equilibrium adsorption isotherm data and the correlation coef-
ficient obtained was 0.95.
3.3.1. Adsorption capacity of the hydrocyclone
The adsorption capacity of hydrocyclone was calculated at the same
operating condition and is compared with the corresponding adsorption
equilibrium isotherm. In a hydrocyclone equilibrium is not attained as
the contact time is less (less than 1 min). The adsorption capacity of the
hydrocyclone varies from 42.4 mg/g to 77.6 mg/g. The capacity ob-
tained at equilibrium varies from 90 mg/g to 120 mg/g, which is higher
than the adsorption capacity of the hydrocyclone because of the less
contact time of MO and fly ash in the hydrocyclone.
3.4. FTIR analysis
The FTIR spectrum of fly ash and MO adsorbed fly ash has given in
Fig. 13. The Fig. 13 shows the different peak values indicating various
(4)
functional groups present in fly ash and MO adsorbed fly ash. Peaks at
548, and 553 cm−1 conforms silicate and aluminium minerals present
in fly ash, and MO adsorbed fly ash respectively. Peaks at 656 and
795 cm−1 show SieOeSi bending and SieO quartz. Peak at 1058 cm−1
shows the CeN stretching in fly ash while the peak at 1103 cm−1 in
adsorbed MO fly ash due to the interaction of nitrogen from the amino
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G. Patra et al.
group of MO. The peak at 1385 and1411 cm−1 confirms the CeH
stretching. Amines present in MO adsorbed fly ash was indicated by the
peak at 1631 cm−1. The peak values of MO adsorbed fly ash at 2922
and 2852 is due to the presence of the hydrocarbon present in methyl
orange [50]. The peak between 3319 and 3753 cm−1 indicates the
functional group OH.
4. Conclusions
Performance of ribbed hydrocyclone for methyl orange dye removal
with the help of fly ash adsorbent has been studied. Particle separation
efficiency of the ribbed hydrocyclone was calculated using the partition
curve. Cut size d50 of the ribbed hydrocyclone was also calculated. Cut
size d50 of the ribbed hydrocyclone was 21 μm for 0.5 g/l of the fly ash.
Fly ash was used for the removal of methyl orange in a continuous
process using the ribbed hydrocyclone. Characterization study showed
that the surface area of fly ash was 1.18 m2/g. The dye removal effi-
ciency depends on initial dye concentration and adsorbent dosage. The
removal efficiency increases with increase in adsorbent doses for the
same initial concentration of methyl orange dye. The maximum effi-
ciency of dye removal was observed 66% for the initial dye con-
centration of 60 ppm and adsorbent dosage of 2 g/l. The dye removal
efficiency decreases with increase in initial dye concentration. The re-
sults concluded that fly ash works well as an adsorbent for methyl or-
ange dye removal in a ribbed hydrocyclone. It can be used on a large
scale because of the availability of fly ash and ease of the hydrocyclone
operation.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur, India for providing with the necessary infrastructural fa-
cilities towards carrying out the research work successfully.
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