title: UV254 absorbance as real-time monitoring and control parameter for micropollutant removal in advanced wastewater treatment with powdered activated carbon.
abstract: This study investigates the applicability of UV absorbance measurements at 254 nm (UVA254) to serve as a simple and reliable surrogate parameter to monitor and control the removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in advanced wastewater treatment applying powdered activated carbon (PAC). Correlations between OMP removal and corresponding UVA254 reduction were determined in lab-scale adsorption batch tests and successfully applied to a pilot-scale PAC treatment stage to predict OMP removals in aggregate samples with good accuracy. Real-time UVA254 measurements were utilized to evaluate adapted PAC dosing strategies and proved to be effective for online monitoring of OMP removal. Furthermore, active PAC dosing control according to differential UVA254 measurements was implemented and tested. While precise removal predictions based on real-time measurements were not accurate for all OMPs, UVA254-controlled dynamic PAC dosing was capable of achieving stable OMP removals. UVA254 can serve as an effective surrogate parameter for OMP removal in technical PAC applications. Even though the applicability as control parameter to adjust PAC dosing to water quality changes might be limited to applications with fast response between PAC adjustment and adsorptive removal (e.g. direct filtration), UVA254 measurements can also be used to monitor the adsorption efficiency in more complex PAC applications.
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Water Quality Control, Str. des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany; Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Cicerostr. 24, 10709 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: johannes.altmann@bwb.de.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Altmann
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Water Quality Control, Str. des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Massa
authors.affiliation: Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Cicerostr. 24, 10709 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sperlich
authors.affiliation: Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Cicerostr. 24, 10709 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gnirss
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Water Quality Control, Str. des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jekel
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D005374:Filtration; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002606:Charcoal
keywords: Adsorption; Deep-bed filtration; Organic micropollutants; PAC; UVA(254); Wastewater treatment