The use of fly ash from the combustion of poultry litter for the adsorption of chromium(III) from aqueous solution

Fly ash, from the combustion of poultry litter, was assessed as an adsorbent for chromium(III) from aqueous solution. The adsorption process was studied as a function of temperature and time. Adsorption was best described by the Langmuir model. The adsorption of chromium(III) on the fly ash was endothermic and kinetic studies suggest that the overall rate of adsorption was pseudo‐second order. At low initial concentrations film diffusion effects contribute to limiting the overall rate of adsorption while at higher initial chromium(III) concentrations pore diffusion becomes more important. An adsorption capacity of 53 mg dm−3 was reached at 20 °C. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry