A series of batch and dynamic column experiments were carried out for adsorbing reactive dyes present in textile mill effluents under different conditions. Jordanian shale oil ash, produced by burning oil shale at 800°C, was used to adsorb these dyes in a fixed bed adsorber. The bed depth service time (BDST) model was applied to illustrate the bed performance. The experimental and predicted results are compared for various operating conditions. The effects of feed flow rate, inlet concentration, adsorbent article diameter and temperature on the bed service time and performance are considered. It was found that the rate at which the breakthrough point is achieved increases with increasing temperature and inlet concentration, and decreases as the particle size increases. The results indicate that a bed of 0.20 m in height and 0.025 m in diameter is adequate for full development of the adsorption zones in all experiments. The spent adsorbent was easily regenerated by burning at 600°C. The results obtained indicate that shale oil ash has potential as an adsorbent and could be easily used in continuous processes. In addition, the BDST model gave reasonable results in predicting the bed performance using the relationships proposed by previous researchers or proposed in this study.

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