Biosorption processes in biomembrane systems during water treatment of surface water sources

The characteristics of a system with bioactive powdered activated carbon and microfiltration have been studied under conditions of the aerobic treatment of natural water from the water storages of Guan Ting (China), the Moskva River, and the Yauza River (Russia). The removal of organic matter in the system was estimated in terms of the permanganate oxidizability and UV absorption at λ = 254 nm (UV₂₅₄) and λ = 410 nm (UV₄₁₀). The average removal efficiency amounted to 68.42, 75.61, and 87.50%, respectively, at water temperature 10°C. The water treatment process (at 20°C) began immediately after the start-up of the plant at the expense of the adsorption on activated carbon that guaranteed a high speed of removal of organic pollutants in the absence of mature microflora. By the time the adsorption capacity of carbon was exhausted, the microflora was able to mature ensuring in combination with the powdered activated carbon a high speed of removal. In order to guarantee the biological stability of water, the removal degree of assimilable organic carbon amounted to 60.2% and the purified water met the requirements of the recommended criterion (100 mg acetate-C/dm³).