Adsorption of humic acid by powdered activated carbon in saline water conditions

The adsorption of humic acid (HA) by powdered activated carbon (PAC) in saline waters has been examined in the absence and presence of metal salt coagulants. The study showed that adsorption of HA by PAC can be significantly greater in saline water compared to freshwater and low conductivity water. An optimal adsorption was attained at saline concentrations corresponding to synthetic seawater diluted to 12.5-25% of its original concentration. In undiluted synthetic seawater the adsorption of HA from solution by PAC was comparable with that of local tap water in terms of initial adsorption rate and total removal. The enhanced adsorption is believed to be a combination of reduced electrostatic repulsion between the HA and PAC at high salt concentrations, and chemisorption due to chemical bonding between the functional groups. The effects of adding a metal salt coagulant, either aluminium sulphate or ferric chloride, on overall HA removal were found to depend strongly on the coagulant dose, solution pH and the sequence of addition of the PAC and metal salt coagulant. Addition of the PAC shortly before the coagulant was found to give the greatest removal of HA.     

Enhanced fluoride removal from drinking water by magnesia-amended activated alumina granules

This paper describes the fluoride removal potential of a novel sorbent, magnesia-amended activated alumina (MAAA) from drinking water. MAAA, prepared by calcining magnesium hydroxide impregnated alumina at 450 °C has shown high fluoride sorption potential than activated alumina from drinking water. Batch sorption studies were performed as a function of contact time, pH, initial fluoride concentration, and adsorbent dose. Studies were also performed to understand the effect of various other co-existing ions present in real ground water samples. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) and a gas adsorption porosimetry analyses were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of MAAA. More than 95% removal of fluoride (10 mg l⁻¹) was achieved within 3 h of contact time at neutral pH. Sorption of fluoride onto MAAA was found to be pH dependant and a decrease in sorption was observed at higher pHs. Among the kinetic models tested, pseudo-second-order model fitted the kinetic data well, suggesting the chemisorption mechanism. Among the various isotherm model tested, Sips model predicted the data well. The maximum sorption capacity of fluoride deduced from Sips equation was 10.12 mg g⁻¹. Most of the co-existing ions studied have negligible effect on fluoride sorption by MAAA. However, higher concentrations of bicarbonate and sulfate have reduced the fluoride sorption capacity.     

活性炭去除水体中微囊藻毒素的研究进展

对国内外活性炭去除水体中微囊藻毒素的研究进展进行了综述。详细阐述了活性炭对微囊藻毒素的吸附去除机理及水体中天然有机物、pH、氯等外界因素对活性炭吸附性能的影响,认为物理扩散、静电引力和降解作用是活性炭吸附去除藻毒素的主要机理。通过改性和生物再生能够有效提高活性炭对微囊藻毒素的去除率并延长其运行周期。     

Application of ultrafiltration membranes for removal of humic acid from drinking water

Humic acids are primarily a result of the microbiological degradation of surrounding vegetation and animal decay and enter surface waters through rain water run-off from the surrounding land. This often gives rise to large seasonal variations, high concentrations in the wet season and lower concentrations in the dry season. Alone humic acid is just a colour problem but when present in conventional treatment processes like chlorination, carcinogenic by-products like trihalomethane and haloacetic acid are formed. This, in addition to the demand for clean potable drinking water, has sparked extensive research into alternative processes for the production of drinking water from various natural/industrial sources. One of the major areas of focus in these studies is the use of membranes in microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration. In this report the humic acid removal efficiency of ultrafiltration membranes with 3 kDa, 5 kDa and 10 kDa MWCO is examined. The membranes were made of regenerated cellulose and were in the form of cassette providing a 0.1 m² surface area. At first distilled and deionised water, known as milliQ water, was used as the background feed solution to which humic acid powder was added. It was found that all three membranes removed humic acid with an efficiency of approx. 90% and were capable of reducing initial concentrations of 15mg/L to below the New Zealand regulatory limit of 1.17 mg/L. The permeate flux at a transmembrane pressure of 2.1 bar was approx. 20 l/m²/h (LMH) and 40 LMH, respectively through the membranes with MWCO 3 kDa and 5 kDa. These membranes experienced significant surface fouling resulting in retentate flow rates as low as 11 litres per hour after just four runs compared to the recommended 60–90 l/h. Cleaning with 0.1 M NaOH slightly improved the retentate flow rate, but well below those obtained with fresh membranes. The 10 kDa membrane provided high retentate flow rates which evidently minimised fouling by providing a good sweeping action across the membrane surface while maintaining humic acid removal below the regulatory 1.17 mg/L level. The permeate flux through this membrane was initially high (140–180 LMH) and reduced to approx. 100 LMH after 10–12 min of operation. Increasing the initial humic acid feed concentration from 10 mg/L to 50 mg/L did not significantly decrease humic acid removal efficiency although the retentate flow rate was lower at higher concentrations. Finally the tap water was tested as the background solution and treated for the removal of humic acid. The presence of ions and other impurities in the tap water had little effect on humic acid removal. However, the permeate flux through 10 kDa membrane decreased from 100 LMH for milliQ water to 60 LMH for tap water after 20 min of operation.     

Kinetics of removal of p-toluene sulphonic acid from concentrated solution by granular activated carbon

The removal of p-toluene sulphonic acid (p-TSA) from concentrated solution by granular activated carbon (GAC) was studied in batch experiments. The first order rate constant was found to be 5.5010 × 10^?5 s^?1 for a solution of 1000 mg dm^?3. In order to establish the rate limiting step the pore and film diffusion coefficients were calculated from the half time equations. Film diffusion was found to be rate limiting. The average value of the external mass transport rate constant was 2.91 × 10^?6 cm s^?1. The adsorption isotherm was adequately described by the Langmuir model and belongs to type ‘H’ of Giles' classification.     

负载铁离子活性炭除砷的研究进展

砷污染是一个严重的世界问题,在其诸多的去除方法中,负载铁离子活性炭兼顾了活性炭和混凝沉淀的优势,可高效去除砷离子.作者对负载铁离子活性炭的制备方法、影响砷去除率的主要因素和吸附模型的研究现状进行了详细评述,其中负载铁离子活性炭的孔径结构、表面性质,负载铁离子的形貌、分布、种类和质量等决定着其吸附容量;通过调节搅拌时间、...     

Characteristics of unburned carbons and their application for humic acid removal from water

Two unburned carbons (UCs) were separated from coal fly ash and their physicochemical properties were characterised using N₂ adsorption, XRD, SEM, XPS, FT-IR and potentiometric mass titration. Chemical treatments using HNO₃ and KOH were also conducted on one of the unburned carbons. The adsorption of humic acid from aqueous solution was performed on these untreated and chemically treated UCs. It was found that the UCs showed different porous structure and surface chemical properties, which influenced their adsorption behaviour. UCs exhibited high adsorption capacity for humic acid. After chemical treatment, the textural structure and surface functional groups of the unburned carbon were changed and the adsorption behaviour showed significant difference. Acid treatment did not change the surface area but reduced the functional groups while basic treatment significantly enhanced the surface area in microporous section but still reduced the surface functional groups. Particle size and pH solution will also influence the adsorption capacity. The adsorption will increase with decreasing particle size for humic acid. Higher pH solution will reduce humic acid adsorption on unburned carbon. Ionic strength will also affect humic acid adsorption showing positive effect on adsorption capacity.     

Application of TiO2-mounted activated carbon to the removal of phenol from water

TiO₂-mounted activated carbon was prepared through hydrolytic precipitation of TiO₂ from teraisopropyl orthotitanate and following heat treatment at 650–900 °C for 1 h under a flow of nitrogen. The removal of phenol from its aqueous solution under UV irradiation was measured on TiO₂-mounted activated carbons thus prepared. Although BET surface area of TiO₂-mounted activated carbons decreased drastically in comparison with the original activated carbon, the efficiency of phenol removal under UV irradiation was high. The sample heated at 900 °C, which consisted mainly of rutile phase, showed the highest total removal of phenol. Efficiency of phenol degradation is reduced because of phenol adsorption on the catalyst.     

Enhanced production of hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose with solid acid catalysts by simple water removal methods

This paper demonstrates two simple ways to increase 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) yield (selectivity) in fructose dehydration with various solid acid catalysts. One is a water removal from the reaction mixture by a mild evacuation at 0.97 × 10⁵ Pa; it increases HMF yield for various catalysts (heteropoly acid, zeolite, and acidic resin). The removal of water suppresses two undesired reactions: the hydrolysis of HMF to levulinic acid and the reaction of partially dehydrated intermediates to condensation products. The other method is a decrease in the particle (bead) size of the resin (Amberlyst-15). The crushed and sieved Amberlyst-15 powder in a size of 0.15–0.053 mm shows 100% HMF yield at high fructose concentration (50 wt.% in DMSO), which is to our knowledge the highest yield to date. Near-infrared spectroscopic characterization of adsorbed water suggests that the enhanced yield can be caused by an improved removal of adsorbed water in a small-size resin particle.     

Gallic acid water ozonation using activated carbon

The ozonation of gallic acid in water in the presence of activated carbon has been studied at pH 5. Hydrogen peroxide, ketomalonic and oxalic acids were identified as by-products. The process involves two main periods of reaction. The first period, up to complete disappearance of gallic acid, during which ozonation rates are slightly improved by the presence of activated carbon. The second one, during which activated carbon plays an important role as promoter, and total mineralization of the organic content of the water is achieved. The organic matter removal is due to the sum of contributions of ozone direct reactions and adsorption during the first period and to a free radical mechanism likely involving surface reactions of ozone and hydrogen peroxide on the carbon surface during the second period. There is a third transition period where by-products concentration reach maximum values and ozonation is likely due to both direct and free radical mechanisms involving ozone and adsorption. Discussion on the mechanism and kinetics of the process is also presented both for single ozonation and activated carbon ozonation.     

改性活性炭吸附除砷的研究

以小麦秸秆、木屑、煤渣等所制备的活性炭及其活性炭负载铁作为吸附剂,用于水中As（Ⅲ）的去除。考察了活性炭种类、吸附时间、吸附温度、溶液pH值和吸附剂投加量等对As（Ⅲ）去除的影响。结果表明,木屑制备的活性炭所负载铁作为吸附剂,对水中As（Ⅲ）的去除效果最好;As（Ⅲ）的去除率随吸附时间、吸附温度、溶液pH值和吸附剂投加量的增加而增加。     

Application of flyash instead of activated carbon for oxalic acid removal

Flyash, a waste product from thermal power plants, has been used as an adsorbent for the removal of oxalic acid. The adsorption process follows first-order kinetics and the equilibrium is attained within 30 min in the concentration range studied (0.01-0.1M). The adsorption obeys both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms and the constants have also been reported for flyash and activated carbon. At low concentrations, the increase in pH with flyash is comparatively more than for activated carbon. There seems to be a good scope for the use of flyash in place of activated carbon as an adsorbent for oxalic acid removal.     

Comparison of catalytic ozonation of phenol by activated carbon and manganese-supported activated carbon prepared from brewing yeast

Activated carbon (AC) was prepared using brewing yeast as precursor by chemical activation and manganese was supported on activated carbon (Mn/AC) by adsorption-activation method. The characterizations of prepared AC and Mn/AC and their performance as ozonation catalysts was tested. The results indicated that the crystalline phase of supported manganese was MnO. The total BET surface areas of prepared AC and Mn/AC were found to be 1603.0 m²/g and 598.9 m²/g, with total pore volumes of 1.43 and 0.49 cm³/g, respectively. The average pore diameters of AC and Mn/AC were found to be 3.5 nm and 3.3 nm. Adsorption capacities of phenol onto the produced AC and Mn/AC were determined by batch test, at 25 °C and pH 7. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to fit the isotherm experimental data, and the Langmuir isotherm model fitted these two adsorption systems well. The maximum uptakes of phenol by AC and Mn/AC were estimated to be 513.5 mg/g and 128.2 mg/g. The presence of AC prepared from brewing yeast was advantageous for TOC reduction of phenol solution compared with single ozonation, and the greatest TOC removal efficiency was obtained in the presence of Mn/AC. All ozonation reactions followed the pseudofirst-order kinetics model well, the degradation rate of phenol was enhanced in the presence of catalysts, and the more pronounced degradation rate was achieved in O₃/Mn/AC system. The rate constants were determined to be 2.16×10⁻² min⁻¹ for O₃ alone, 5.70×10⁻² min⁻¹ for O₃/AC and 6.82×10⁻² min⁻¹ for O₃/Mn/AC.     

A study on removal efficiency of phenol and humic acid using spherical activated carbon doped by TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

This study aimed to find a way to remove organic pollutants, phenol and humic acid in aqueous solutions using TiO₂ spherical activated carbon (Ti-SPAC). The Ti-SPAC was manufactured by resin ion-exchange and a heating process. This method was very effective not only in creating TiO₂ on the surface of the supports evenly, but also in making activated carbon that has highly-developed micro pores. To estimate whether Ti-SPAC has the proper features as a photocatalyst and adsorbent, it was examined in detail by X-ray patterns, SEM image, EDXS, BET, EPMA. The results proved that Ti-SPAC is a very useful material for treating wastewater by photocatalysis and absorption.     

Electrocombustion of humic acid and removal of algae from aqueous solutions

This paper reports experiments involving the electrochemical combustion of humic acid (HA) and removal of algae from pond water. An electrochemical flow reactor with a boron-doped diamond film anode was used and constant current experiments were conducted in batch recirculation mode. The mass transfer characteristics of the electrochemical device were determined by voltammetric experiments in the potential region of water stability, followed by a controlled current experiment in the potential region of oxygen evolution. The average mass transfer coefficient was 5.2 × 10⁻⁵ m s⁻¹. The pond water was then processed to remove HA and algae in the conditions in which the reaction combustion occurred under mass transfer control. To this end, the mass transfer coefficient was used to estimate the initial limiting current density applied in the electrolytic experiments. As expected, all the parameters analyzed here—solution absorbance at 270 nm, total phenol concentration and total organic carbon concentration—decayed according to first-order kinetics. Since the diamond film anode successfully incinerated organic matter, the electrochemical system proved to be predictable and programmable.     

Role of microporosity and surface functionality of activated carbon in methylene blue dye removal from water

Activated carbons have been prepared from jute stick by both chemical and physical activation methods using zinc chloride and steam, respectively. They were characterized by evaluating surface area, iodine number, pore size distribution, and concentration of surface functional groups. The chemically activated carbon largely featured micropore structure, while the physically activated carbon mainly featured macropore structure. The specific surface area of chemically and physically activated carbons was 2,325 and 723 m ² /g, while the iodine number was 2,105 and 815mg/g, respectively. The concentration of surface functional groups was determined by Boehm titration method, which suggested that different types of surface functional groups are randomly distributed on chemical activated carbons, while it is limited for physical activated carbon. The microporosity along with surface functional groups provided a unique property to chemically activated carbon to adsorb Methylene Blue dye to a large extent. The adsorption of dye was also affected by the adsorption parameters such as adsorption time, temperature and pH. Comparatively, higher temperature and pH significantly facilitated dye adsorption on chemically activated carbon.     

Preparation of activated carbon microspheres from phenolic-resin by supercritical water activation

Supercritical water (SCW) has been employed as an efficient activating agent for the preparation of activated carbon microspheres (P-ACS) with developed mesopores from phenolic-resin. Several processing factors that influenced the activation reaction, including activation temperature, activation duration, supercritical pressure and water flow rate were investigated. Increasing activation temperature and duration lead to larger porosity and higher specific surface area as demonstrated in the samples. Supercritical pressure change has little effect on the activation; however, there are indications that a slight increase in mesoporosity can be obtained when the pressure was raised to 36 MPa or higher. Higher water flow rate slightly enhanced the development of microporosity but had little effect on the mesoporosity. Compared with the traditional steam activation, SCW activation can produce P-ACS with more mesoporosity and higher mechanical strength.     

活性炭纤维处理丙烯酸废水的研究

采用活性炭纤维对丙烯酸模拟废水进行静态和动态吸附研究,测定了吸附等温线和动态穿透曲线,并且研究了吸附平衡时间、温度、pH值对处理效果的影响。结果表明,温度升高,吸附效率有所降低;溶液pH在3~4范围内对吸附效率影响不大;吸附时间存在最佳值,最佳吸附时间6 m in。吸附饱和的活性炭纤维用NaOH溶液再生,重复使用3次,吸附效率无明显变化。     

Color removal from dye wastewaters by adsorption using powdered activated carbon: Mass transfer studies

Color removal from synthetic dye wastewater which typically emanates from the Taiwan textile industry has been studied using powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an adsorbent. The CIE colorimetric system has been used in the measurement of color for the treatment of disperse-red-60 dye wastewater. The effect of contact time, dye concentrations and PAC dosage on color and color removal has been investigated. A film-pore double resistance diffusion model for mass transfer has also been used in this study to determine the effective diffusivity, D_eff, for the adsorption of disperse-red-60 dye wastewater to PAC.