Usability of apricot shell as adsorbent in adsorption equilibrium and kinetic studies

In this study the biosorpsiyon of Cu+2 in a batch and continuous system was studied, by using the core shells of the apricot fruit grown for commercial purposes in Malatya province of Eastern Anatolia region. In the batch system, the effects of the parameters such as time, the initial concentration of Cu+2, stirring speed, temperature, bioadsorban amount, particle size of biosorban were investigated. For the characterization of bioadsorban, the methods SEM, XRD, FT-IR and Boehm titration were employed. The experimantal data were analyzed for their fit to some isotherm models such as Langmuir, Freundlich and DR (Dubinin and Radushkevich), and to the first and second order pseudo kinetic models. Some thermodynamics parameters were also calculated. It was determined that the equilibrium experimental data were represented best by Langmuir isotherm, that the kinetic data fit to the second order pseudo kinetic model, and that the system has a spantenous aand exsothermic character. In the continious system, the effects of the parameters of the initial of Cu+2 concentration and bioadsorbent amount were investigated using a fixed bed column. These experimantel results were analysed by Thomas, Adams-Bohart and Yoon-Nelson models. It was found that the data were represented best by Yoon-Nelson model. In addition, the effenciency of the biosorption in the fixed bed and the reusability were evaluated.