Fixed-bed column studies on the adsorption of bisphenol A from aqueous solutions using chemically activated king coconut biochar

This study focused on evaluating the fixed-bed adsorption performance of a newly developed, chemically activated biochar derived from king coconut nuts (KBC800-HCl) for the removal of BPA. The breakthrough curves for KBC800-HCl adsorption were analyzed under varying flow rates, bed heights, and initial BPA concentrations to determine the optimal parameters for subsequent experiments. The fixed-bed column study revealed that alterations in flow rate, initial concentration, and bed height had a notable impact on the column's efficiency and operation. As the flow rate elevated from 1.0 mL/min to 2.0 mL/min, both the breakthrough and exhaustion times shortened. Similarly, an increase in bed height was found to elongate both the breakthrough and exhaustion times. Moreover, the findings revealed that increasing the initial concentrations from 100.0 to 200.0 mg/L resulted in shorter breakthrough and exhaustion times. Optimal performance for KBC800-HCl was observed at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, an initial concentration of 100.0 mg/L and a bed height of 3.0 cm. The breakthrough curves were evaluated using the Thomas, Yoon–Nelson, and Adams–Bohart models. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models (Adj. R2 = 0.9992) accurately represented the experimental breakthrough curve, exhibiting better performance than the Adams-Bohart model.