title: Comparing and modeling organic micro-pollutant adsorption onto powdered activated carbon in different drinking waters and WWTP effluents.
abstract: The adsorption of organic micro-pollutants (OMP) onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) was compared between regionally different waters within two groups, namely five drinking waters and seven wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. In all waters, OMP were spiked to adjust similar ratios of the initial OMP and DOC concentrations (c0,OMP/c0,DOC). PAC was dosed specific to the respective DOC (e.g. 2 mg PAC/per mg DOC). Liquid chromatography with online carbon detection shows differences of the background organic matter (BOM) compositions. The OMP removals at given DOC-specific PAC doses vary by ±15% (drinking waters) and ±10% (WWTP effluents). Similar BOM-induced adsorption competition in the waters of the respective group results in overall relationships between the PAC loadings and the liquid phase concentrations of each OMP (in the case of strong adsorbates). Weaker adsorbates show no overall relationships because of the strong BOM-induced adsorption competition near the initial OMP concentration. Correlations between OMP removals and UV254 removals were independent of the water (within the respective group). The equivalent background compound (EBC) model was applied to the experimental data. Using global EBC Freundlich coefficients, the initial EBC concentration correlates with the DOC (both water groups separately) and the low molecular weight (LMW) organics concentrations (all waters combined). With these correlations, the EBC could be initialized by using the DOC or the LMW organics concentration of additional drinking water, WWTP effluent, and surface water samples.
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Water Quality Control, KF4, Str. des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: frederik.zietzschmann@tu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zietzschmann
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Water Quality Control, KF4, Str. des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aschermann
authors.affiliation: Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Water Quality Control, KF4, Str. des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jekel
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002244:Carbon; D060766:Drinking Water; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D060766:Drinking Water; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Activated carbon; Background organic matter; Drinking water; Equivalent background compound; Organic micro-pollutants; WWTP effluent