Small column adsorption capacity test

Figure 8. Plutonium Elution Curve for Small Column Adsorption Capacity Test...

Fortunately, the effects of most mobile-phase characteristics such as the nature and concentration of organic solvent or ionic additives the temperature, the pH, or the bioactivity and the relative retentiveness of a particular polypeptide or protein can be ascertained very readily from very small-scale batch test tube pilot experiments. Similarly, the influence of some sorbent variables, such as the effect of ligand composition, particle sizes, or pore diameter distribution can be ascertained from small-scale batch experiments. However, it is clear that the isothermal binding behavior of many polypeptides or proteins in static batch systems can vary significantly from what is observed in dynamic systems as usually practiced in a packed or expanded bed in column chromatographic systems. This behavior is not only related to issues of different accessibility of the polypeptides or proteins to the stationary phase surface area and hence different loading capacities, but also involves the complex relationships between diffusion kinetics and adsorption kinetics in the overall mass transport phenomenon. Thus, the more subtle effects associated with the influence of feedstock loading concentration on the... 

The influence of physical water parameters such as pH or temperature on the performance of the adsorption process is quite small in the range relevant for drinking water production. Activated carbon (F-400) shows a slight decline in capacity with raising temperature whereas on Ambersorb 572 no effect was observed [28]. In column tests, the temperature influence observed was only small [59]. 

The process variables known to influence arsenic capacity and column performance of alumina, GFH, and other adsorbents are as follows adsorbent, adsorbent particle size, flow rate, EBCT, and water quality parameters including arsenic concentration, As(III)/(V) speciation, pH, silica, phosphate, fluoride, hardness, and sulfate concentrations. Even with a complete water analysis, it is prudent to perform pilot studies with competitive adsorbents on the water to be treated because of the numerous factors that influence arsenic adsorption. Equilibrium isotherms and rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) are typically run prior to the pilot study (7). 

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