• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.666-672
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• 2004

Granular media filtration is used almost universally as the last particle removal process in conventional water treatment plants. Therefore, superb particle removal efficiency is needed during this process to ensure a high quality of drinking water. However, every particle can not be removed during granular media filtration. Besides the pattern of particle attachment is different depending on physicochemical aspects of particles and suspension. Filtration experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale filter using spherical glass beads with a diameter of 0.55 mm as collectors. A single type of particle suspension (Min-U-Sil 5) and pH control was used to destabilize particles. The operating conditions were similar to those of standard media filtration practice: a filtration velocity of 5 m/h. More favorable particles, i.e., particles with smaller surface charge, were well attached to the collectors especially during the early stage of filtration. This selective attachment of the lower charged particles caused the zeta potential distribution (ZPD) of the effluent to move to a more negative range. On the other hand, the ZPD of the effluent did not keep moving from less negative to more negative during the later stages of filtration, and this result was thought to be caused by two reasons: ripening effects and the detachment of flocs.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2020

An understanding of particle-particle interactions in filtration requires studying the detachment as well as the attachment of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles captured in a granular media filter can be released by changing the physicochemical factors. In this study, the detachment of captured silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in granular media filtration was examined under different ionic strengths, ion type, and the presence or absence of natural organic matter (NOM). Filtration velocity and ionic strength were chosen as the physical and chemical factors to cause the detachment. Increasing filtration velocity caused a negligible amount of AgNP detachment. On the other hand, lowering ionic strength showed different release amounts depending on the background ions, implying a population of loosely captured particles inside the filter bed. Overall detachment was affected by ionic strength and ion type, and to a lesser degree by NOM coating which resulted in slightly more detachment (in otherwise identical conditions) than in the absence of that coating, possibly by steric effects. The secondary energy minimum with Na ions was deeper and wider than with Ca ions, probably due to the lack of complexation with citrate and charge neutralization that would be caused by Ca ions. This result implies that the change in chemical force by reducing ionic strength of Na ions could significantly enhance the detachment compared to that caused by a change in physical force, due to a weak electrostatic deposition between nanoparticles and filter media. A modification of the 1-D filtration model to incorporate a detachment term showed good agreement with experimental data; estimating the detachment coefficients for that model suggested that the detachment rate could be similar regardless of the amount of previously captured AgNPs.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.625-630
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• 2004

Granular media filtration is used almost universally as the last particle removal process in conventional water treatment plants. Therefore, superb particle removal efficiency is needed during this process to ensure a high quality of drinking water. However, every particle can not be removed during granular media filtration. Besides the pattern of particle attachment is different depending on physicochemical aspects of particles and suspension. Filtration experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale filter using spherical glass beads with a diameter of 0.55 mm as collectors. A single type of particle suspension (Min-U-Sil 5) and alum coagulation was used to destabilize particles. The operating conditions were similar to those of standard media filtration practice: a filtration velocity of 5 m/h. More favorable particles, i.e., particles with smaller surface charge, were well attached to the collectors especially during the early stage of filtration when zeta potential of particles and collectors are both negative. This selective attachment of the lower charged particles caused the zeta potential distribution (ZPD) of the effluent to move to a more negative range. On the other hand, the ZPDs of the effluent moved from more positive to less positive when the surface charge of particles was positive and this result was thought to be caused by ion transfer between particles and collectors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.813-822
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• 2006

Soluble manganese removal was analyzed as a function of filter media, filter depth, presence or absence of chlorination, and surface manganese oxide concentration in water treatment processes. Sand, manganese oxide coated sand (MOCS), sand+MOCS, and granular activated carbon(GAC) were used as filter media. Manganese removal, surface manganese oxide concentration, turbidity removal, and regeneration of MOCS in various filter media were investigated. Results indicated that soluble manganese removal in MOCS was rapid and efficient, and most of the removal happened at the top of the filter. When filter influent (residual chlorine 1.0mg/L) with an average manganese concentration of 0.204mg/L was fed through a filter column, the sand+MOCS and MOCS columns can remove 98.9% and 99.2% of manganese respectively on an annual basis. On the other hand, manganese removal in sand and the GAC column was minimal during the initial stage of filtration, but after 8 months of filter run they removed 99% and 35% of manganese, respectively. Sand turned into MOCS after a certain period of filtration, while GAC did not. In MOCS, the manganese adsorption rate on the filter media was inversely proportional to the filter depth, while the density of media was proportional to the filter depth.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.35-51
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• 2017

The use of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) and naturally occurring silica (Sand) as filtration media in water and waste water treatment systems is very common. While GAC offers the additional functionality of being an "adsorptive" filter for dissolved organics it is also more expensive. In this paper we present an experimental evaluation of the performance of a bed of GAC for colloid removal and compare the same with that from an equivalent bed of Sand. The experiments are performed in an "intermittent" manner over extended time, to "simulate" performance over the life of the filter bed. The experiments were continued till a significant drop in water flow rate through the bed was observed. A novel "deposition" and "detachment" rate based transient mathematical model is developed. It is observed that the data from the experiments can be explained by the above model, for different aqueous phase electrolyte concentrations. The model "parameters", namely the "deposition" and "detachment" rates are evaluated for the 2 filter media studied. The model suggests that the significantly better performance of GAC in colloid filtration is probably due to significantly lower detachment of colloids from the same. While the "deposition" rates are higher for GAC, the "detachment" rates are significantly lower, which makes GAC more effective than sand for colloid removal by over an order of magnitude.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.673-679
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• 2004

Particle breakthrough can occur by either the breakoff of previously captured particles (or flocs) or the direct passage of some influent particles through the filter. Filtration experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale filter using spherical glass beads with a diameter of 0.55 mm as collectors. A single type of particle suspension (Min-U-Sil 5, nearly pure $SiO_2$) and three different destabilization methods (pH control, alum and polymer destabilization) were utilized. The operating conditions were similar to those of standard media filtration practice: a filtration velocity of 5 m/h. To assess the possibility of particle detachment during the normal filtration, a hydraulic shock load (20% increase of flow rate) was applied after 4 hours of normal filtration. The magnitude of particle detachment was proportional to the particle size for non-Brownian particles. At the same time, less favorable particles, i.e., particles with larger surface charge, were easily detached during the hydraulic shock load. Therefore, proper particle destabilization before filtration is crucial for maximum particle removal as well as minimum particle breakthrough.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.281-294
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• 2012

Filtration using granular media such as quarried sand, anthracite and granular activated carbon is a well-known technique used in both water and wastewater treatment. A relatively new pre-filtration method called pebble matrix filtration (PMF) technology has been proved effective in treating high turbidity water during heavy rain periods that occur in many parts of the world. Sand and pebbles are the principal filter media used in PMF laboratory and pilot field trials conducted in the UK, Papua New Guinea and Serbia. However during first full-scale trials at a water treatment plant in Sri Lanka in 2008, problems were encountered in sourcing the required uniform size and shape of pebbles due to cost, scarcity and Government regulations on pebble dredging. As an alternative to pebbles, hand-made clay pebbles (balls) were fired in a kiln and their performance evaluated for the sustainability of the PMF system. These clay balls within a filter bed are subjected to stresses due to self-weight and overburden, therefore, it is important that clay balls should be able to withstand these stresses in water saturated conditions. In this paper, experimentally determined physical properties including compression failure load (Uniaxial Compressive Strength) and tensile strength at failure (theoretical) of hand-made clay balls are described. Hand-made clay balls fired between the kiln temperatures of $875^{\circ}C$ to $960^{\circ}C$ gave failure loads of between 3.0 kN and 7.1 kN. In another test when clay balls were fired to $1250^{\circ}C$ the failure load was 35.0 kN compared to natural Scottish cobbles with an average failure load of 29.5 kN. The uniaxial compressive strength of clay balls obtained by experiment has been presented in terms of the tensile yield stress of clay balls. Based on the effective stress principle in soil mechanics, a method for the estimation of maximum theoretical load on clay balls used as filter media is proposed and compared with experimental failure loads.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.203-214
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• 2007

This study aimed at researching the process selection for two-stage and dual media filtration system, as a technology substituting the existing sand filter without expanding the site when retrofitting an old filter bed or designing a new one. In order to select the process for optimum complex filtration system, three running conditions have been tested. Test results demonstrated that Run 3 in which the 1st stage was filled with anthracite and coarse sand, and the 2nd stage was filled up with activated carbon and fine sand reduced the head loss and the load of turbidity substances. Also, Run 3 showed better performance in removing TOC, particle counts, THMFP and HAAFP, compared to other two conditions. 99 % of Cryptosporidium was removed. Bisphenol-A was rarely removed from the 1st stage of coarse sand and 2nd stage of fine sand, but 99 % of it was removed from the 2nd stage of activated carbon. In conclusion, when it is required to retrofit an old rapid filter bed or design a new one for the purpose of improving filtration performance, the following two-stage and dual media filtration system is suggested: the 1st stage of filter bed needs to be filled up with coarse sand to remove turbidity as the pretreatment for extending duration of filtering, the top part of 2nd stage needs to be filled up with granular activated caron to remove dissolved organic matters and others as the main process, and finally the bottom part of 2nd stage needs to be filled up with fine sand as the finishing process.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.697-704
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• 2008

Stormwater runoff from urban road area as non-point source has a tendency of including lots of pollutants at initial rain period. Recently, there are several cases of having installed treatment facilities for reducing pollution discharge from the impervious cover in urban area to prevent watershed environment from getting worse. The filtration type among non-point source treatment systems has been known as one of the most efficient system for treatment of non-point source pollutants. Therefore, various kinds of filter media such as expanded polypropylene(EPP), granular activated carbon, zeolite, perlite, illite, sand, gravel has been developed. This study was conducted to verify performance and hydraulic characteristics of filter media as measures for non-point source. The experiment was carried out to evaluate applicability and variation of 4 kind of most popular filter media(EPP, GAC, Zeolite, Perlite) in headloss with elapsed time and influent flow rate and to obtain data base that could be used to establish management plan for road runoff treatment. In experiment by tap water, it showed that EPP and perlite those are floatable materials showed stable operating performance and lower headloss than the others.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.61-72
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• 1999

To obtain the experimental data for design and operation of actual filtration processes, a sand filter and three kinds of dual media filters in pilot-plant scale were operated in this study. We analyzed the effect of filter medium composition on the filter performance and the effects of backwash water flow rates, length of stream line and air flow rate on the filter backwash efficiency. We also compared the efficiencies of the combined air-water backwashing and the water backwashing in dual media filters. As the backwash water flow rates or the length of stream line increased, the final turbidity of backwash water was decreased and the filtration duration time after backwash was increased. In the case of the combined air-water backwashing, the backwash water quantity needed for backwashing the dual media filters could be decreased. The total volume of filtered water for the dual media filters during filter run was over three times larger than that for the sand filter. The dual media filters could be operated at a high filtration rate of 360 m/day.