Term of Award
Summer 2015
Degree Name
Master of Science in Applied Engineering (M.S.A.E.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Committee Chair
George Fu
Committee Member 1
Mike Jackson
Committee Member 2
Pete Rogers
Abstract
Two environmental concerns currently face Georgia: coal fly ash (CFA) waste from coal power plants, and the effluent generated by pulp mills. Pulp mill effluent discolors surface waters into which it is discharged, and has been proven to negatively impact the dissolved oxygen and carbon necessary for aquatic life. The proposed solution is a cost-effective adsorption treatment using an inexpensive but abundantly available waste material: CFA. CFA possesses beneficial properties that allow it to effectively remove contaminants, and is available at significantly reduced cost. The primary research objective was to define treatment parameters that would result in the maximum removal of effluent color at the lowest CFA dosage and process cost. Experimentation consisted of batch adsorption studies and several test parameters were varied to determine their effect on removal. Kinetic and isotherm studies were also conducted using the optimal conditions, and the data was fitted to existing adsorption models. In addition, a column study was completed to observe CFA in a continuous flow setting. The research produced a cost-effective adsorption process resulting in 80% color removal, and required no effluent pH adjustment. Color removal by CFA was observed to occur primarily in the first hour, with the adsorption achieving equilibrium at 24 hours. Additionally, the Ho et al. kinetic model and the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models best described the observed adsorption phenomena. Overall, this research found CFA to be a promising low-cost adsorbent for the removal of color from pulp mill effluent.
Recommended Citation
Willett, Christopher B., "Color Removal From Pulp Mill Effluent Using Coal Ash Produced From Georgia Power Coal Combustion Plants" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1320.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1320
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Construction Engineering and Management Commons, Environmental Engineering Commons, Industrial Engineering Commons, Industrial Technology Commons, Manufacturing Commons, Other Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons, Transportation Engineering Commons
