UTILIZATION OF THOMAS MODEL TO PREDICT THEBREAKTHROUGH CURVES FOR ADSORPTION AND IONEXCHANGE
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Abstract
Fixed bed sorption processes such as adsorption and ion exchange do not operate at
steady state. The design equations are differential that usually require numerical methods
to solve. Thomas gives a general analytical solution for these equations. It is based on
second-order reaction kinetics and the assumption of Langmuir isotherm. Computer
program for the solution of Thomas model was designed using MATLAB 7.0. Four sets
of experimental data are tested to show the capability of Thomas model to predict the
breakthrough curves for adsorption and ion exchange processes. These data represent the
sorption of o-cresol from water by activated carbon, acetic acid from air by activated
carbon, phenol from water by natural zeolite, and trichloroethylene from air by zeolite-
5A.The results show that there are a good agreement between the experimental data and
the model.
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