A simulation study of the removal efficiency of granular activated carbon on cadmium and lead

The excessive release of heavy metals into the environment is a major concern worldwide. Adsorption process is among the most effective techniques for heavy metals removal from waste streams and activated carbon has been widely used as an adsorbent. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the potential and effectiveness of granular activated carbon (GAC) to remove heavy metals, particularly cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) through adsorption from the prepared solutions respectively. A fixed bed column test was conducted to simulate the actual condition of adsorption in a continuous manner in a filtration process. Different flow rates were used to evaluate their effects on the column performance where different breakthrough curves were obtained. The Adam-Bohart breakthrough curve equation was used to predict the breakthrough curve and to obtain the adsorption capacity of cadmium and lead on GAC. The results showed that the Adam-Bohart equation fitted the experimental data well and cadmium and lead can be successfully removed by granular activated carbon (GAC) through the column test.