Adsorption Kinetics of Boron by Anion Exchange Resin in Packed Column Bed

In this paper, we present a novel application of Amberlite IRA 743 resin that has glucamine func- tional groups for specific boron exchange. The boron removal efficiency from seawater was examined through the packed column experiment. The efficiency of boron removal was investigated with respect to several key experimental parameters, including the pH of the solution, the initial concentration of boron, the bed volume of the resin, and the temperature. The performance of boron removal increased upon increasing the batch ratio of resin to boron and decreasing the initial concentration of boron in solution. Although the removal rate of boron increased at the initial state of increasing temperature, it was independent of temperature. Most of the boron in aqueous solution could be removed efficiently under the optimum operation conditions at pH 8.5. In addition, a kinetic study of boron removal under the optimum conditions fit Thomas's adsorption model well. The sim- ple method presented could be applied to the efficient removal of boron from wastewater.