Pressure gradients during uniform fluid flow in porous media are traditionally assumed to be linear. Thus, pressure loss across a sample of porous medium is assumed directly proportional to the thickness of the sample. In this study, measurements of pressure gradients inside coarse granular (2-18 mm particle size) porous media during steady gas flow were carried out. The results showed that pressure variation with distance in the porous media was nonlinear near the inlet (where pressure gradients were higher) but became linear at greater distances (with a lower gradient). This indicates that the pressure loss in porous media consists of two components: (1) a linear pressure gradient and (2) an initial pressure loss near the inlet. This initial pressure loss is also known from hydraulics in tubes as a minor loss and is associated with abrupt changes in the flow field such as narrowings and bends. The results further indicated that the minor loss depends on the particle size and particle size distribution in a manner similar to that of the linear pressure gradient. There is, thus, a close relation between these two components. In porous media, the minor loss is not instantaneous at the inlet point but happens over some distance starting upstream from the inlet and ending some distance downstream. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

This study explores the possibility of using iron-loaded sepiolite, obtained by recovering iron from polluted water, as a catalyst in the electro-Fenton oxidation of organic pollutants in textile effluents. The removal of iron ions from aqueous solution by adsorption on sepiolite was studied in batch tests at iron concentrations between 100 and 1,000 ppm. Electro-Fenton experiments were carried out in an electrochemical cell with a working volume of 0.15 L, an air flow of 1 L/min, and 3 g of iron-loaded sepiolite. An electric field was applied using a boron-doped diamond anode and a graphite sheet cathode connected to a direct current power supply with a constant potential drop. Reactive Black 5 (100 mg/L) was selected as the model dye. The adsorption isotherms proved the ability of the used adsorbent. The removal of the iron ion by adsorption on sepiolite was in the range of 80-100 % for the studied concentration range. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were found to be applicable in terms of the relatively high regression values. Iron-loaded sepiolite could be used as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of organic dyes in the electro-Fenton process. Successive batch processes were performed at optimal working conditions (5 V and pH 2). The results indicate the suitability of the proposed combined process, adsorption to iron remediation followed by the application of the obtained iron-loaded sepiolite to the electro-Fenton technique, to oxidize polluted effluents.

In this study, electro-Fenton dye degradation was performed in an airlift continuous reactor configuration by harnessing the catalytic activity of Fe alginate gel beads. Electro-Fenton experiments were carried out in an airlift reactor with a working volume of 1.5 L, air flow of 1.5 L/min and 115 g of Fe alginate gel beads. An electric field was applied by two graphite bars connected to a direct current power supply with a constant potential drop. In this study, Lissamine Green B and Reactive Black 5 were selected as model dyes. Fe alginate gel beads can be used as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the degradation of organic dyes in the electro-Fenton process, as they are more efficient than the conventional electrochemical techniques. At optimal working conditions (3 V and pH 2), the continuous process was performed. For both dyes, the degree of decolourisation increases when the residence time augments. Taking into account hydrodynamic and kinetic behaviour, a model to describe the reactor profile was obtained, and the standard deviation between experimental and theoretical data was lower than 6 %. The results indicate the suitability of the electro-Fenton technique to oxidise polluted effluents in the presence of Fe alginate gel beads. Moreover, the operation is possible in a continuous airlift reactor, due to the entrapment of iron in the alginate matrix.