Fractional Derivatives for Description of Sorption Kinetics in the Plant Sorbent - Metal Ions System

It was examined if buckwheat hull has a potential to be used to adsorb heavy metal ions Zn(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) from water. The research involved experiments aimed at the determination of sorption kinetics taking into consideration changes of concentration in a solution and sorbent over time. According to the literature data, kinetics is described with the use of pseudo first-order equations. Application of fractional derivatives for the description of sorption kinetics enables the development of the generalised sorption kinetics equation. Result analysis with this concept requires making a computational procedure using gamma functions and infinite series. Kinetics description using fractional derivatives will be equations with two parameters ie fraction of derivative α and the kinetics constant K dependent on the analysed sorbent-adsorbate system.