Improved Models for Chromate Removal Using Ion Exchangers in Drinking Water Applications
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 5
Abstract
Chromates are widely used for their anticorrosive properties. Unfortunately, they are hazardous, with environmental agencies regulating their levels to below 10 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water. Because single-use anion-exchange resins are the standard tools for chromate removal, accurate predictive dynamic models are necessary for quick decisions based on deviations of the inlet concentration to achieve the desired outlet purity requirements. To this end, we studied various dynamic models to simulate the ion exchange process for targeted chromate removal. Of those studied, we selected the Thomas model for its accuracy. The Thomas model has two parameters, which are estimated via minimization of the sum of square errors between the predicted model and the experimental data set with varying process conditions. In these analyses, the resulting model demonstrated large parameter fluctuations with contact times and inlet chromate concentrations. Therefore, relying on fixed-parameter values can lead to faulty predictions and, therefore, to poor controllability of the chromate removal ion-exchange system. Thus, in this work, we evaluated the variation of parameters with respect to resin contact times and inlet chromate concentrations and performed a detailed sensitivity analysis and confidence region studies. This work improves the accuracy of the modified Thomas model fivefold and demonstrates its potential for use in process control decisions.
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Data Availability Statement
The selected data used in this work is collected from literature sources and the details are provided in the Supplemental Materials.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Department of Chemical Engineering at Rowan University for their assistance in acquiring computational licenses and resources used in this study.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 5 • May 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Nov 1, 2021
Accepted: Jan 13, 2022
Published online: Mar 12, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Aug 12, 2022
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