Adsorption of copper ions from aqueous solution using surface modified pine bark media

This study used a packed column reactor and a horizontal flow mesh reactor to examine the removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions using pine bark, a natural adsorbent prepared from Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora). Both equilibrium and nonequilibrium adsorption experiments were conducted on copper ion concentrations of 10mg/L, and the removals of copper ions at equilibrium were close to 95%. Adsorption of copper ions could be well described by both the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The bark was treated with nitric acid to enhance efficiency of copper removal, and sorption capacity was improved by about 48% at equilibrium; mechanisms such as ion exchange and chelation may have been involved in the sorption process. A pseudo second-order kinetic model described the kinetic behavior of the copper ion adsorption onto the bark. Regeneration with nitric acid resulted in extended use of spent bark in the packed column. The horizontal flow mesh reactor allowed approximately 80% removal efficiency, demonstrating its operational flexibility and the potential for its practical use as a bark filter reactor.