Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Nickel (II) Biosorption in a Fixed Bed Column

A simplified model for the dynamic removal of nickel (II) in a fixed bed biosorption column is presented. The key assumption of the model is that equilibrium is fast enough and mass transfer resistances do not exist for biosorption of metal ion on the biosorbent materials. The equilibrium kinetics is expressed with Langmuir isotherm. The resulting partial differential and Darcy’s law equations represent mass balance for nickel (II) ion and flow hydrodynamic in biosorption fixed bed column. These equations were solved with COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 simultaneously. An apparent axial dispersion coefficient has been used as a main parameter of the model. The breakthrough curve and the bed concentration distribution show good agreement with experimental data. The operating parameters of the apparent axial dispersion coefficient and bed density are also examined. These parameters have major effects on the results according to parameter effects on the breakthrough curve.

Mathematical Modeling and Simulation of Nickel (II) Biosorption in a Fixed Bed Column Keywords:

Biosorption , Modeling , Fixed bed , Breakthrough curve