Fixed Bed Column Investigation for the Adsorption of 4-Nonylphenol Using Graphene Oxide Chitosan Aerogel Beads

Abstract

In the quest to find a nanoadsorbent for the removal of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) from contaminated water, graphene oxide chitosan aerogel (GOCSA) beads were synthesized and characterized as a potential candidate in our earlier study in the batch system. In this study, the adsorption status of the nanocomposite was investigated using continuous fixed-bed column tests to determine the potential and performance of the adsorption. To evaluate the performance of the adsorbent, bed depth (10–20 cm), flow rate (10–20 L min−1), and concentration (1–3 mg L−1) of 4-NP were measured and the breakthrough curves for each condition were drawn. The column adsorption structure was found to operate better with higher bed depth, lower flow rate, and lower 4-NP influent concentration with 8.94 L breakthrough volume. The highest adsorption capacity of 18.53 mg g−1 was achieved using 20 cm bed depth, 10 mL min−1 flow rate, and 3 mg L−1 influent 4-NP concentration. Finally, the parameters related to the Thomas, Adams–Bohart, and Yoon–Nelson models were calculated. It was found that the outcomes are consistent with the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models.