Wei Chao-hai

Adsorption and catalytic processes of cyanide solutions and acid-washed activated carbon

Abstract The adsorption and oxidation of cyanide solutions on activated carbon have been investigated to examine whether or not this process involves chemisorption and catalysis of copper compound on the oxidation of cyanide. The effects of metal ions, dissolved oxygen and the pH of cyanide solution on the treatment capacity of activated carbon were tested. Thermodynamic experiments and kinetic experiments were also conducted to calculate the heat of adsorption and the activated energy of adsorption. The mechanism is proposed for the adsorption and catalytic oxidation of cyanide on activated carbon. This mechanism is characterized by the chemisorption resulting from the interaction between complex ions and the surface groups of activated carbon and the catalytic oxidation of cyanide by adsorbed oxygen (with copper compounds adsorbed on carbon surface as the catalyst).