• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.521-527
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• 2016

Nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) has been intensively studied for the treatment of a plethora of pollutants through reductive reaction, however, the nano size should be of concern when nZVI is considered for water treatment, due to difficulties in recovery. The loss of nZVI causes not only economical loss, but also potential risk to human health and environment. Thus, the immobilization onto coarse or structured support is essential. In this study, two representative processes for nZVI immobilization on granular activated carbon (GAC) were evaluated, and optimized conditions for synthesizing Fe/GAC composite were suggested. Both total iron content and $Fe_0$ content can be significantly affected by preparation processes, therefore, it was important to avoid oxidation during preparation to achieve higher reduction capacity. Synthesis conditions such as reduction time and existence of intermediate drying step were investigated to improve $Fe_0$ content of Fe/GAC composites. The optimal condition was two hours of $NaBH_4$ reduction without intermediate drying process. The prepared Fe/GAC composite showed synergistic effect of the adsorption capability of the GAC and the degradation capability of the nZVI, which make this composite a very effective material for environmental remediation.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.87-97
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• 2016

First of all, Fe or/and Mn immobilized granular activated carbons (Fe-GAC, Mn-GAC, (Fe, Mn)-GAC) were synthesized and tested to remove arsenate (As(V)). The results in batch test indicated that Fe-GAC removed As(V) effectively, even though the surface area of Fe-GAC was reduced largely. Moreover, adsorption isotherm test indicated that the experimental data fit well with Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity ($q_{max}$) of Fe-GAC for As(V) was $3.49mg\;g^{-1}$, which was higher than GAC ($2.24mg\;g^{-1}$). In column test, the simulated water, which consisted of As(V), Fe(III), Mn(II) and Ca(II) in tap water, was used. Fe-GAC column with 1 hr of pre-washing time treated As(V) effectively while GAC column removed Fe(III) better than Fe-GAC column. Moreover, the increasing pre-washing time from 1 to 9 hour in Fe-GAC column enhanced Fe(III) removal with little negative impact of As(V) removal. Mostly, the column filled with Fe-GAC and GAC (i.e. the mass ratio of Fe-GAC:GAC = 2:8) showed the higher treatability of both As(V) and Fe(III), even it operated with 1 hr pre-washing time.