Abstract
The adsorption characteristics of tartrazine by granular activated carbon were experimentaly investigated in the batch adsorber and the packed column. The adsorptivity of activated carbon for tartrazine was largely improved by pH control, and 98 percent of initial concentration could be removed at pH 3. It was estabilished that the adsorption equilibrium of tartrazine on granular activated carbon was sucessfully fitted by Freundlich isotherm equation in the concentration range from 50 mg/L to 1,000 mg/L. The characteristics of breakthrough curve of activated carbon packed column, which depend on the design variables such as initial concentration, bed height, and flow rate, were studied.