• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.436-443
• /
• 2005

A study of physical properties and their application using K-powdered activated carbon system followed powdered carbon dispersion was carried out at laboratory. scale. Two types of K-powdered activated carbon for the dispersion have been used in this study to investigate the catalytic removal efficiency of pollutants from the wastewater. From the surface properties obtained for carbon samples treated with aqueous solutions containing potassium salts, main investigations were subjected to isotherm shape, SEM, EDX and surface functional groups. K-powdered activated carbons were dispersed to wastewater with pH variation to investigate the removal efficiency for the color, COD, T-N and T-P. From these removal results of the piggery waste using K-powdered activated carbon, satisfactory removal performance in the region of pH 6~8 was achieved. The excellent effects for the dispersion of the K-powdered activated carbon were proved by the above mentioned properties of the material for adsorption and trapping of organics, and catalytic effects.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.39-44
• /
• 2016

The reuse of spent coffee powder has been researched for environmental engineering applications such as adsorbents of organic/inorganic pollutants. In this study adsorption equilibrium tests and adsorption kinetics tests for the removal of aqueous organic pollutant (methylene blue) were conducted using spent coffee powder, granular activated carbon, and powdered activated carbon. It was found that the maximum adsorption capacity of three adsorbents followed the order of powdered activated carbon (178.6 mg/g) > spent coffee powder (60.6 mg/g) > granular activated carbon (15.6 mg/g). The results of adsorption kinetics tests also indicated that spent coffee powder had higher kinetic parameters than granular activated carbon for pseudo 1st and 2nd order kinetics. The high performance of spent coffee powder might be due to its porous surface like those of granular and powdered activated carbons and smaller particle size comparing with granular activated carbon.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.996-1003
• /
• 2006

The absorption characteristics of powdered activated carbon doped by transition-metal nanoparticles were investigated to enhance the remove efficiencies of $TCOD_{Mn}$ and Color from the flexo-inks wastewater. According to the adsorption dynamics of PAC and MPAC, the optimal dosage of activated-carbon adsorbents was 3 g/L under the reaction conditions of pH6.0, 30 mill of reaction time, 240 rpm of mixing intensity. The removal efficiencies by the optimal dosages were maximized as 19% $TCOD_{Mn}$, 57% Color for PAC and 88% $TCOD_{Mn}$, 95% Color for MPAC. Freundlich indexes of isotherm absorption were estimated as follows: i) For PAC, k=-8.11, 1/n=2.98, r=0.91 in the raw water, and k=0.14, b/n=0.75, r=0.96 in the biological treatment water, ii) For MPAC, k=2.69, 1/n=0.21, r=0.80 in the raw water, and k=0.74, 1/n=1.17, r=0.95 in the biological treatment water. MPAC (Powdered activated carbon doped by transition-metal nanoaprticles) was very effective in the removal of organics from the raw water and biological treatment water, as Freundlich indexes of 1/n for both types of water were estimated less than 2.0.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.479-482
• /
• 2012

Membrane process has been one of the widely applied wastewater treatment options, especially in field. However, one of the tricky issues in the process is to treat concentrates generated from reverse osmosis (RO) system in a manner of saving cost with maximum efficiency for treating a wide range of contaminants. Stimulated with the challenging issues, we have conducted a series of experimental studies in the evaluation for removing organics and nutrients using activated carbon. Results indicated that while powdered activated carbon (PAC) efficiently removed organics and the extent of removal was proportional to the PAC dosage, little removal of nitrogen and phosphorus was observed despite increasing the PAC dose. Interestingly, applying PAC was superior in removing organics than using granular activated carbon (GAC). These results suggest smaller particle size with higher surface area could provide greater chemical reactivity in removing organics.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.491-496
• /
• 2010

This study aimed to obtain equilibrium concentration on adsorption removal of phosphorus by activated carbon, to express the adsorption characteristics following Freundlich isotherm and also, based on the value obtained, to investigate the relationship between physical properties of activated carbon and dynamics of phosphorus removal by obtaining rate constant and effective pore diffusivity. The results summarized from this study are as follows. Phosphorus adsorption equilibrium reaching time of powdered activated carbon was reduced as the dosage of activated carbon increases, while granular activated carbon despite increased dosage did not have influence on adsorption equilibrium reaching times of phosphorus as well, taking more than 10 hours. It was also noted that powdered activated carbon showed better adsorption ability than granular activated carbon. The value of constant (f) of Freundlich isotherm of powered activated carbon on phosphorus was 4.26 which is bigger than those of granular activated carbon. The adsorption rate constant on phosphorus of powered activated carbon with low effective diameter and iodine number was highest as $8.888hr^{-1}$ and the effective pore diffusivity ($D_e$) was lowest as $2.45{\times}10^{-5}cm^2/hr$, and the value of phosphorus adsorption rate constant of granular activated carbon was $0.174{\sim}0.372hr^{-1}$, It was revealed that, with the same amount of dosage, the adsorptive power of activated carbon with lower effective diameter was better and its rate constant was also high.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.20-30
• /
• 2014

A membrane-coupled sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) was used for the advanced treatment of rural village sewage which is very low C/N ratio. The effect of powdered activated carbon, aeration rate, and external organic material loadings on the treatment efficiency and filtration performance were investigated in sequencing batch reactor, in which a flat-sheet type microfiltration membrane with a pore size of $0.4{\mu}m$ was submerged. At the initial operation (within 54 days) MLSS concentration, and the removal efficiencies of COD, T-N, and T-P were increased with the increase of C/N ratio. After 89 days the removal efficiencies of COD, T-N, and T-P were 97.1%, 75.0%, and 48.3%, respectively. Suspended solid-free effluent was obtained by membrane filtration. The T-P removal was relatively low because of depending on the amount of excess sludge wasting. During the operation of MSBR with powdered activated carbon, the particle size of the sludge reduced by the increase of collision frequency and mixing intensity. In comparison with MSBR without powdered activated carbon, TMP of MSBR with that was significantly elevated.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.585-589
• /
• 2010

In order to evaluate the performance of a powdered activated carbon (PAC) contactor, two water treatment plants (WTP) were selected as target sites. The result of tracer tests showed that the plug flow portion of a bisymmetry-type contactor (H WTP) was more than 70%. A maze-type contactor (C WTP) also had more than 70% of plug flow portion after intra-basin baffles were installed. According to the operating data of the target WTPs, there was no clear evidence that the addition of PAC contributed to the removal of organics. However, the results of jar tests, conducted with the raw water taken from the H WTP, proved that PAC could remove dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to some extent when the proper velocity gradient was maintained. It was estimated that the production rate, defined as the ratio of the operating flowrate to the design flowrate, of the C and H WTPs was only 27 and 50%, respectively. Because of these lower production rates, the mixing intensity in the contactor was much less than the designed value and, finally, the performance of the PAC contactor was much lower than what was expected.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.475-483
• /
• 2017

Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) produced by cyanobacteria during algal blooming in surface water are the major taste-and-odor-causing compounds in drinking water and need to be removed. Activated carbon is often used in treatment plants for the mitigation of odor problem. However, there is a lack of information on the effect of pore size distribution and particle size of activated carbon for adsorption of both odor compounds. Therefore, we studied the effect of pore size distribution and particle size of activated carbon on the adsorption of geosmin and 2-MIB. When comparing the adsorption of geosmin and 2-MIB between activated carbon fiber (ACF), powdered activated carbon (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC), the order of removal efficiency was PAC > ACF > GAC. As a result of comparing PACs with various pore distribution characteristics, well-developed micropores on activated carbon were found to be favorable for adsorption of geosmin and 2-MIB. For particle size, smaller was more effective for adsorption of geosmin and 2-MIB.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.9 no.5
• /
• pp.409-414
• /
• 2000

In order to examine the availability and effectiveness of crab shell for the removal of heavy metals in aqueous solution the crab shell was compared with cation exchange resin(CER), zeolite granular activated carbon (GAC) and powdered activated carbon(PAC) on aspects of heavy metal removal capacity rate and efficiency. In the removal of Pb, Cd and Cr, the heavy metal removal capacity of crab shell was higher than those of any other sorbents (CER, zeolite, GAC, PAC) and the order of heavy metal removal capacity was crab shell>CER>zeolite>PAC GAC. However in the removal of Cu, the result of crab shell was slightly lower than that of CER. The initial heavy metal removal rate was affected by the sorts of sorbents and metals. In all heavy metals the heavy metal removal rate of crab shell was higher than those of any other sorbents. Under the heavy metal concentration of 1.0 mmole/$\ell$ the heavy metal removal efficiency of crab shell was maintained as 93~100% which was much higher than those of any other sorbents.

• Carbon letters
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.191-198
• /
• 2007

Recent studies have revealed the poisonous nature of aluminum(III) species to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Therefore, this investigation aims to develop batch adsorption experiments in the laboratory, aiming to the removal of aluminum(III) from aqueous solutions onto powdered activated carbon (PAC). The latter (which is an effective and inexpensive sorbent) was prepared from olive stones generated as plant wastes and modified with an aqueous modifying oxidizing agent, viz. $HNO_3$. The main parameters (i.e. initial solution pH, sorbent and $Al^{3+}$ ions concentrations, stirring times and temperature) influencing the sorption process were examined. The results obtained revealed that the sorption of $Al^{3+}$ ions onto PAC is endothermic in nature and follows first-order kinetics. The adsorption data were well described by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) adsorption models over the concentration range studied. Under the optimum experimental conditions employed, the removal of ca. 100% $Al^{3+}$ ions in the concentration range $1.35-2.75\;mg{\cdot}l^{-1}$ was attained. Moreover, the procedure was successfully applied to the recovery of aluminum spiked to some environmental water samples with an RSD (%), does not exceed 1.22%.