Transport and Deposition Kinetics of Polymer-Coated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Packed Beds

In this study, a modified filtration equation that accounts for the transport and kinetics of polymer-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes in columns packed with crushed Berea sandstone is presented. The columns were saturated with brine solution, in which the salt concentration was varied from 0 to 10 wt%. Experimental results show that the polymer effectively eliminates the effects of salt on particle deposition when the salt concentration is less than or equal to 10 wt%. The calculated cumulative particle recovery is as high as 88.47 +/- 0.25%. Results show that, at 10 wt% salt concentration, the proposed equation successfully predicts the experimental behavior, especially at the early stages of the breakthrough, where commonly used models fail. It is argued that the new equation accounts for the dynamic change of single collector efficiency as the deposition process advances. When tested against prior results available in the literature, the proposed model agrees with published data from other investigators. (C) 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 3774-3783, 2016