Equilibrium and kinetic modeling of metal ion biosorption: On the ways of model generalization for the case of multicomponent systems

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the problem of multicomponent sorption of metal ions on the algae-based biosorbents. The basic methods of generalization of the single-component adsorption models are reviewed or introduced and commented for both biosorption equilibrium and kinetics. The problem of similarities and difference between the competitive adsorption and the ion-exchange models is discussed and analyzed to state that both these approaches give the same results providing that only equilibrium properties are considered. © 2013 The Author(s).