Batch and continuous fixed bed adsorption of copper (II) from acid mine drainage (AMD) using green and recyclable adsorbent from cellulose microcrystals (CMCs)

The CMCs are viable materials for applications in industry and process innovation for removing heavy metal ions since they may be used in static and dynamic adsorption processes. It is necessary to develop simple, low-cost water treatment methods that use organic, biodegradable polymers such as nanomaterial-modified cellulose microcrystals. The column technique was used to investigate the effects of operational parameters such as pH, bed depth, concentration and flow rate. The input concentrations of 20, 40, 80 and 120 mg L−1, feed flow rates of 5, 10, 15 and 20 mL min−1, and bed heights of 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 cm. Experimental findings showed that the adsorption capacity decreased with increasing flow rate and increased with bed depth and input concentration, which were among the breakthrough parameters evaluated. The optimum adsorption capacity of 258.09 ± 0.96 mg g−1 was found to be achieved with an ideal pH of 6, an initial concentration of 200 mg L−1, a contact period of 300 min, and a dosage of 5 g/200 mL. The Langmuir model best fits the adsorption of indigo carmine, whereas the pseudo-second-order model, which governs the adsorption mechanism, may be described by physisorption combined with chemisorption. From a thermodynamic perspective, the adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous. In continuous adsorption, the Yoon-Nelson and Thomas models provided a good match for the hole curve, whereas the Bohart-Adams model fitted the breakthrough curve's initial portion ((Ct/C0) <0.5) perfectly. A three-dimensional adsorbent that has been chemically modified. The chemically modified CMCs adsorbent was characterized using FTIR, SEM and TGA.