title: Full- and pilot-scale GAC adsorption of organic micropollutants.
abstract: Granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption of 30 environmentally relevant micropollutants (MP) from four surface waters was investigated at the pilot-scale with empty bed contact times (EBCTs) of 7 and 15 min. An increase in background dissolved organic matter resulted in more and earlier MP breakthrough. Compared to an EBCT of 7 min, MP breakthrough at an EBCT of 15 min demonstrated 52% later breakthrough on average for five MPs on a throughput basis. A regression model was developed with data from three waters to predict MP throughput in bed volumes to 10% breakthrough (BV10%) based on the influent dissolved organic carbon concentration and the MP pH-dependent octanol-water partition coefficient, polarizability, and molecular volume. The regression model over predicted full-scale BV10% values when applied to a wastewater-water impacted water source and to GAC with a larger particle diameter, for which a particle size adjustment was able to account for most of the difference.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Reinert
authors.forename: Detlef R U
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Knappe
authors.forename: Imma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Summers
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010316:Particle Size; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002606:Charcoal