Design of cyclic fixed‐bed adsorption processes. Part I: Phenol adsorption on polymeric adsorbents

A model for the adsorption of phenol in a fixed bed of a polymeric adsorbent is developed. Model parameters (equilibrium parameters, capacity factor, axial dispersion, film mass transfer coefficient, and intraparticle effective diffusivity) are experimentally determined from independent experiments. Numerical solution of the model equations uses the method of lines with double orthogonal collocation in finite elements. The model is used for the prediction of breakthrough curves and is part of a package for the design of cyclic processes.