• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.682-689
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to find out the variation between molecular size distribution (MSD) of natural organic matter (NOM) in raw waters after different water treatment processes like conventional process (coagulation, flocculation, filtration) followed by advanced oxidation process (ozonation, GAC adsorption). The MSD of NOM of Suji pilot plant were determined by Liquid Chromatography-Organic Carbon Detection (LC-OCD) which is a kine of high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) with nondispersive infrared (NDIR) detector and $UV_{254}$ detector. Five distinct fractions were generally separated from water samples with the Toyopearl HW-50S column, using 28 mmol phosphate buffer at pH 6.58 as an eluent. Large and intermediate humic fractions were the most dominant fractions in surface water. High molecular weight (HMW) matter was clearly easier to remove in coagulation and clarification than low molecular weight (LMW) matter. Water treatment processes removed the two largest fractions almost completely shifting the MSD towards smaller molecular size in DW. No more distinct variation of MSD was observed by ozone process after sand filtration but the SUVA value were obviously reduced during increase of the ozone doses. UVD results and HS-Diagram demonstrate that ozone induce not the variation of molecular size of humic substance but change the bond structure from aromatic rings or double bonds to single bond. Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration removed 8~9% of organic compounds and showed better adsorption property for small MSD than large one.

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

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2009

We investigated the effect of organic materials on membrane fouling in advanced drinking water treatment by a hybrid module packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) outside multi-channel ceramic microfiltration membrane. Synthetic water was prepared with humic acid and kaolin to simulate natural water resouces consisting of natural organic matter and inorganic particles. Kaolin concentration was fixed at 30 mg/L and humic acid was changed as 2~10 mg/L to inspect the effect of organic matters. Periodic back-flushing using permeate water was performed for 10 sec per filtration of 10 min. As a result, both resistance of membrane fouling (Rf) and permeate flux (J) were influenced highly by concentration of humic acid. It proved that NOM like humic acid could be an important factor on membrane fouling in drinking water treatment. Turbidity and UV254 absorbance were removed up to above 97.4% and 59.2% respectively.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.449-458
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• 2023

As an adsorption technology for dissolved organic matter, the adsorption capacity of granular activated carbon, GAC, can be applied, but activated carbon whose adsorption capacity is significantly reduced by use is inevitably replaced or regenerated. However, due to the economics of replacement cost, thermal regeneration method is used commercially, but high energy cost and loss of activated carbon occur under high temperature conditions above 800℃. In this study, the Sono-Fenton method, a multi-oxidation technology that combines Fenton oxidation and ultrasonic oxidation, was applied to improve the regeneration efficiency of spent GAC used to treat dissolved organic matter in combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and the regeneration efficiency of spent GAC by oxidant and ultrasonic frequency was investigated. In the applied Sono-Fenton treatment, the highest regeneration efficiency of 68.5% was obtained under the regeneration conditions of Fe²⁺ 10 mmol/L, H₂O₂ concentration 1,000 mmol/L, ultrasonic treatment time of 120 min, and ultrasonic frequency of 40 kHz. And similar efficiency was also obtained at 750 kHz, while ultrasonic waves of other frequencies had poor regeneration efficiency, and the magnitude of frequency and GAC regeneration efficiency did not show a linear relationship. In the case of continuous operation of the GAC adsorption tower with CSOs prepared by diluting raw sewage, about 700 hours of operation without regeneration was possible, and as a result of applying one Sono-Fenton treatment, 40-70% COD_cr removal efficiency was obtained during a total of 1,000 hours of GAC adsorption operation.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.28 no.A
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• pp.23-26
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• 2008

Ozone/GAC and ozone-GAC processes were introduced for treatment of humic acid, which is representative refractory organic compound. The treatment efficiencies of humic acid in each process were analyzed in pH variation, DOC removal, and $UV_{254}$ decrease. $UV_{254}$ decrease in all processes was comparatively high with efficiency over 92%. $UV_{254}$ decrease in ozone alone process was 85%. DOC removal in Ozone-GAC process was the highest with 75%. Removal by Ozone/GAC, Ozone alone processes were 71% and 33% respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2002

Counterflow oxidation was developed and evaluated for treatment of organics that adsorbed in/on granular activated carbon(GAC). This reaction is a method that destructs and removes organics adsorbed, at the same time, regenerates waste carbon, uti lizing a self-sustained flame which propagates itself ina direction counter to the oxygen flow. The results showed that the mass loss of carbon and flam temperature were strongly dependent on the flow rate of oxyen, adsorptive capability of regenerated carbon completely was recovered, as well as destrution and removal efficiency of thermally stable PCBs was achieved with the value of better than 99.99%.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1218-1224
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• 2008

A liquid culture of yeast "Candida tropicalis" was used in a fluidized bioreactor to achieve high removal efficiencies of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, granular activated carbon (GAC) was used as a fluidized material to improve adsorptive capacity as well as mass transfer of gaseous toluene, the model VOC. The GAC fluidized bioreactor demonstrated toluene removal efficiencies ranging from 50 to 80%, when inlet toluene loading varied in a range between 13.1 and 37.4 g/m$^3$-hr. The maximum elimination capacity determined in the GAC fluidized bioreactor was 172 g/m$^3$-hr at a toluene loading of 291 g/m$^3$-hr. Transient loading experiments revealed that the removal efficiency was remained unchanged during an increased loading period, and toluene introduced to the bioreactor was first absorbed to GAC and then slowly desorbed and became available to the yeast culture. Hence the fluidized GAC helped to achieve an improved mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases, resulting in high toluene removal capacity. Consequently, the GAC fluidized bioreactor using C. tropicalis can be successfully applied for the removal of VOCs, and is a feasible alternative over conventional processes such as packed-bed biofilters.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.252-259
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• 2018

An acidic, real metal-plating wastewater was treated by a fluidized bed membrane reactor introduced with granular activated carbon (GAC) as fluidized media. With GAC fluidization, there was no increase in suction pressure with time at each flux set-point applied. At neutral solution pH, much less fouling rate was observed than acidic pH under GAC fluidization. Higher solution pH resulted in the increase in particle size in metal-finishing wastewater, thus producing a less dense cake structure on membrane. More than 95% of chemical oxygen demand was observed from the fluidized bed membrane reactor under GAC fluidization. Total suspended solid concentration in membrane permeate was near zero. At the raw wastewater pH, no removal of copper and chromium by the fluidized bed membrane reactor was observed. As the pH was increased to 7.0, removal efficiency of copper and chromium was increased considerably to 99 and 94%, respectively. Regardless of solution pH tested, more than 95% of cyanide was removed possibly due to the strong adsorption of organic-cyanide complex on GAC in fluidized bed membrane reactor.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.11-31
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• 1999

Removal of hexavalent chromium from artificial groundwater (AGW) by granular activated carbon (GAC) was investigated in batch and continuous-flow column studies. Experimental parameters that were examined included solution pH, presence of dissolved oxygen (DO), and GAC pretreatment with Fe(II). As the solution pH increased from 4 to 7.5, the amount of Cr(VI) removed by both GACs decreased significantly. Exclusion of DO from the experimental systems resulted in greater removal of Cr(VI) from solution, possibly as a result of reduction to Cr(III). However, pretreatment of the GAC with a reductant (Fe(II)) did not improve Cr(VI) removal. Equilibration With 0.01 M $K_2$$HPO_4$[to extract adsorbed Cr(VI)] followed by a wash with 0.02 N $K_2$$HPO_4$[to remove precipitated/sorbed Cr(III)] proved to be a viable approach for the regeneration of carbons whose Cr(VI) removal capacities had been exhausted. The performance of the regenerated carbons exceeded that of the virgin carbons, primarily because of the favorable adsorption of Cr(VI) at lower pH values and the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), The presence of Cr(III) in acid wash solutions provides direct evidence that Cr(VI) is reduced to Cr(III) in GAC systems under relatively acidic conditions. GAC performance over five complete cycles was consistently high, which suggests that such a system will be able to function over many operation cycles without deleterious effects.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.773-782
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• 1998

The adsorption experiment of phenol(Ph) from aqueous solution on granular activated carbon was studied in order to design the fixed-bed adsorption column. The experimental data were analyzed by unsteady-state, one-dimensional heterogeneous model. Finite element method(FEM) was applied to analyze the sensitivity of parameter and to predict the fixed-bed adsorption column performance on operation variable changes. The prediction model showed similar effect to mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion coefficient changes suggesting that both parameter present mass transfer rate limits for GAC-phenol system. The Freundlich constants had a greater effect than kinetic parameters for the performance of fixed-bed adsorption column. FEM solution facilitated prediction of concentration history in solution and within adsorbent particle.