Interaction between an organic dye in water and sand packs in a flume system.

The sorption kinetics of methylene blue (MB), a standard compound in the American Society for Testing and Materials tests, on natural sand in a batch system at a reciprocal shaking speed of 120 rpm is fast, with equilibrium and surface coverage attained in minutes. When the same experiment is carried out in a recirculating flume, adsorption is much slower, with lifetimes increasing up to several months in the flume. Sorption retardation is dependent on the diffusion coefficient of the dye and on the depth of penetration of the MB layer in sand.

Distribution of hexavalent Cr species across the clay mineral surface-water interface.

The adsorption isotherms of Cr(VI) on kaolinite, montmorillonite, and alumina were adequately treated with Langmuir model showing behavior characteristic of single-layer adsorption. The efficiency of the adsorbents in removing Cr(VI) from water follows the order alumina > kaolinite > montmorillonite > silica. Speciation studies indicate that hydrogen chromate ions were the major adsorbed species and simultaneous adsorption of dichromate ion occurred at concentrations greater than approximately 10(-3) mol L(-1).