pubs.acs.

org/IECR Article

Copper Adsorption Based on Hydrodynamics and Mixing

Characteristics on the Amine-Functionalized Reduced Graphene
Oxide Coated Glass Beads in a Multichannel Packed Bed Device
Somen Mondal and Subrata Kumar Majumder*
Cite This: Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2020, 59, 11864−11879 Read Online

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ABSTRACT: This study reports hydrodynamics and mixing character-

istics for the single-phase flow through a millimetric multichannel packed
bed device to meet the specific requirements of the small-scale transport
systems. Residence time distribution studies were performed to character-
ize the velocity distribution for the internal flow inside the packed bed. The
effects of the operating variables and the geometries on the hydrodynamics
and mixing properties were enunciated. The experimental results were
compared with the available correlations, and the new relationships were
proposed on the basis of the experimental results. Copper adsorption with
the parametric effects was studied in the same packed multichannel
geometry with the amine-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO-
NH2) coated glass beads. The experimental results were analyzed by the
Thomas and Yoon−Nelson adsorption models. The adsorptive mass
transfer rates were correlated to the hydrodynamic parameters of the said packed bed device, and the regeneration studies were also
performed.

1. INTRODUCTION present context, amine-functionalized reduced graphene oxide

Fresh water is one of the essential natural resources on our
planet, and it is available in a limited amount. With the ever-
increasing population and demand, we need to be more
judicious in our usage of fresh water and make sure we leave
more than a sufficient amount for our future generations. The
quality of water has also deteriorated over the years. Large-
scale industries dump their wastewater into the water bodies.
Industries like electroplating, battery manufacturing, chemical
manufacturing, and metal finishing generate large amounts of
wastewater, which have a high concentration of heavy metals.
The presence of heavy metals is hazardous to the environment
due to their toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency. Heavy
metals such as copper can be harmful to human health if
consumed in moderate to high concentrations. The World
Health Organization has recommended that the maximum
allowable concentration of Cu(II) in drinking water is 1.5 mg
dm−3.1 Therefore, the remediation of copper contamination is
environmentally and economically advantageous. Adsorption is
one of the most important and widely used separation process
approved by the industries. The researchers have studied the
adsorption capacities and efficiencies of the various types of
adsorbents like activated carbon,2,3 chitosan,4,5 kaolinite,6
zeolite,7 and silica gel,8 etc. for years. Reduced graphene
oxide9,10 or graphene oxide composite11,12 might be a suitable
adsorbent due to its high surface area, high adsorption
capacity, and affinity toward the metal contaminants. In the
was tested for the adsorptive removal of copper(II), as the
functional group amine can form covalent bonds with most of
the metal ions, which can increase the adsorption capacity of
the adsorbent. From the previous literature, it is obvious that
most of the copper(II) adsorption studies were performed in
batch mode.2,3,7,11,12 Though the batch processes are safe and
easy to manage, they require more energy and longer time.
However, continuous processes are efficient and cost-effective.
The continuous mode of operation is essential to attend the
recent increasing demand of the industries, which is signified
by the application of fixed bed adsorption devices packed with
the adsorbent materials.13 The packing materials in a fixed bed
intensify the interaction properties, increasing the mass
transport or adsorption rate. The continuous operation in a
fixed bed device provides higher adsorption capacity than that
in the batch adsorption.14 The design of a particular fixed-bed
adsorption device operating in the continuous mode, with its
higher removal capacity using an efficient packing material, for
the removal of the metal contaminant is required. The
Received: February 11, 2020
Revised: April 25, 2020
Accepted: May 29, 2020
Published: May 29, 2020

© 2020 American Chemical Society https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.0c00681

11864 Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2020, 59, 11864−11879