Martin B.D., De Kock L., Stephenson T., Parsons S.A., Jefferson B.
Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom; Department of Chemical Technology, Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (Water Research Platform), University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
Martin, B.D., Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom; De Kock, L., Department of Chemical Technology, Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (Water Research Platform), University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Stephenson, T., Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom; Parsons, S.A., Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom; Jefferson, B., Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom, Department of Chemical Technology, Nanotechnology Innovation Centre (Water Research Platform), University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
The impact of contactor scale on the efficacy of a ferric nanoparticle embedded media for phosphorus removal was investigated. Experiments were conducted on columns with diameters between 15 and 500mm, operated at a fixed empty bed contact time of 4min and an aspect ratio of bed depth to column diameter of 2:1 to ensure self similarity. The columns contained a ferric nanoparticle embedded media, and treated water containing 4mgPL-1 to simulate applications of full load removal. The treatable flow before breakthrough, the shape of the mass transfer zone and the capacity were all seen to vary with the column diameter used. A logarithmic relationship was observed between column diameter and adsorption capacity such that the capacity increased from 3.4 to 6.3mgPgmedia-1 as the column diameter increased from 15 to 500mm. Overall the results highlight the importance of considering the scale at which the capacity is measured when assessing the economic suitability of the embedded nanoparticle resin. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.