Adsorption Kinetics in Gac Systems for Water Treatment

Abstract

This study investigates the activated carbon adsorption kinetics of TOC from a surface water. The uptake of TOC from water in a batch reactor, as well as in a fixed bed, has been successfully predicted using a single solute, irreversible adsorption model, in which the pore diffusion coefficient is assumed to be changing throughout the process duration. The diffusion rate of the humic substances naturally occurring in surface waters gradually decreases as smaller and smaller pores are penetrated. The slow adsorption phenomenon can be reduced using sufficiently small carbon particles. Column tests showed that a higher degree of saturation and a longer breakthrough time can be achieved after reducing the particle‐size fraction of the activated carbon.