The use of columns packed with chicken feathers for the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions

The removal of phenol from aqueous solutions by adsorption on to chicken feathers was studied experimentally using a fixed bed system, the effects of bed depth, feed flow rate and feed concentration on the breakthrough behaviour being investigated, Breakthrough curves showed the constant pattern behaviour typical of favourable isotherms, with a sharp initial breakthrough followed by a slow approach to equilibrium, The breakthrough time increased with increasing bed height, decreasing flow rate and decreasing influent concentration, Phenol uptake, however, increased with increasing feed flow rate and feed concentration. The Thomas and Bed-Depth-Service-Time (BDST) models were applied successfully to the sorptive removal of phenol.