ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER

An activated carbon filter works in principle as an adsorption process that is used for the
removal of dissolved organic substances for production of drinking water from both surface
and groundwaters. The most important adsorbent for water treatment is activated carbon, and
it was initially applied to improve the taste and odor of water. Activated carbon is also used to
remove micropollutants, such as pesticides and halogenated hydrocarbons, and to limit the
formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes, by removal of natural
organic matter (NOM), which can form disinfection byproducts upon chlorination. This not
only improves taste and minimizes health hazards but also protects other water treatment
units such as reverse osmosis membranes and ion exchange resins from possible damage due
to oxidation or organic fouling. Activated carbon is a favored water treatment technique
because of its multifunctional nature and the fact that it adds nothing detrimental to the
treated water.
The most common raw materials used in the production of activated carbons are bituminous
coal, peat, wood, lignite, coke, and coconut shells. Different raw materials produce different
types of activated carbon varying in hardness, density, pore and particle sizes, surface areas,
extractables, ash and pH. These differences in properties make certain carbons preferable
over others in different applications. Activated carbon generally has internal surface areas of
500 1100 m2/g. The ability of activated carbon to adsorb large quantities of material is
related directly to its porous nature.

MECHANISMS:
The two principal mechanisms by which activated carbon removes contaminants from water
are adsorption and catalytic reduction. Organics are removed by adsorption and residual
disinfectants are removed by catalytic reduction.
Organics Removal
Organic material in public water supplies comes from decaying plant life, which becomes
more soluble in water over time and exists as large, high-molecular weight organic acids

(non-polar). Activated carbon's adsorptive properties are used to remove organics. Generally,
adsorption takes place because all molecules exert forces to adhere to each other. Activated
carbon adsorbs organic material because the attractive forces between the carbon surface
(non-polar) and the contaminant (non-polar) are stronger than the forces keeping the
contaminant dissolved in water (polar).
The adsorptive forces are weak and cannot occur unless the organic molecules are close to the
carbon's surface. The large surface of the activated carbon, due to its particle size and pore
configuration, allows for the adsorption to take place.

Residual Disinfectants Removal

Activated carbon can remove and destroy residual disinfectants (chlorine and chloramine)
through a catalytic reduction reaction. This is a chemical reaction that involves a transfer of
electrons from the activated carbon surface to the residual disinfectant. In other words,
activated carbon acts as a reducing agent. Activated carbon's removal of chlorine reduces the
chlorine to a non-oxidative chloride ion. The reaction is very fast and takes place in the first
few inches of a new activated carbon bed. Where removal of organics by activated carbon
takes minutes, removal of chlorine literally takes seconds. However, Chloramine removal by
activated carbon is a much slower reaction.

FORMS OF ACTIVATED CARBON

Activated carbon is applied in two forms: powdered activated carbon (PAC) and granular
activated carbon (GAC).

Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC)

Typical average particle diameters of powdered activated carbon are between 0.01 and 0.04
mm. Smaller particle sizes impede handling and separation of PAC. Thus they present a large
surface. Powdered activated carbon is added as a suspension to the water to be purified and

removed by sedimentation or filtration. The apparent (bed, bulk, or filter) density (i.e., dry
mass per vessel volume) for PAC is 400 700 kg/m3.
Powdered activated carbon can be applied effectively to control periodic taste and odor
problems and spills of synthetic organic compounds in raw source water. The PAC dosage
(i.e., the mass of PAC per volume of water treated) typically ranges from 5 to 50 mg/m 3 for
the improvement of taste and odor. Long-term removal of specific compounds, such as
pesticides and volatile organic carbons, NOM, and DBP precursors is possible but usually
only at uneconomically high activated carbon dosages. If long-term high dosages of PAC are
required, GAC systems are usually more economical.

Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)

GAC is the most commonly used form of activated carbon and all further details will be
related to this form. In GAC treatment, fixed beds are used that contain the activated carbon.
They can be regenerated. To minimize operational problems when using GAC in packed
beds, the particle size and particle-size distribution must vary only within certain limits.
Typical average particle diameters of granular activated carbon are in the 0.9 1.6-mm range.
Smaller particles yield faster overall adsorption kinetics; however, too many particles smaller
than 0.5 mm may cause high pressure losses in the fixed bed. The apparent (bed, bulk, or
filter) density (i.e., dry mass per vessel volume) of GAC is in the 300 500-kg/m 3 range. The
important parameters and typical values used to characterize the design and operation of
GAC adsorbers are:

Bed volume VF
Cross-sectional area AF
Length l
Filter velocity vF
Empty bed contact time EBCT
Operation time tF
Throughput BV
Carbon use rate CUR

10 50 m3
5 30 m2
1.8 4 m
5 15 m/h
5 30 min
100 600 d
4000 30 000 m3/m3
5 50 g/m3

In groundwater treatment plants, the GAC is normally placed at the end of the treatment train
but before final disinfection. In surface water treatment plants, GAC can be used as a filter

adsorber or placed as a stand-alone unit after filtration, termed the postfilter adsorber. In both
cases, predisinfection of water with chlorine based disinfectants should be avoided because
the disinfectants can react with the GAC and thus reduce its adsorption capacity for organic
compounds and form undesired chlorinated compounds.

Advantages/Disadvantages
The advantages of PAC over GAC are:

low capital costs, because PAC is added to existing contactors

rapid utilization of the adsorption capacity, because PAC is 25 times smaller than

GAC
flexibility in operation, because the dosage, and to some degree the point of
application of PAC, can be controlled easily

Disadvantages of PAC over GAC are:

PAC cannot be reactivated

it can be carried over into the distribution system

PROESS DESCRIPTION:
Water is pumped in a column which contains active carbon, this water leaves the column
through a draining system. The activity of an active carbon column depends on the
temperature and the nature of the substances. Water goes through the column constantly,
which gives an accumulation of substances in the filter. For that reason the filter needs to be
replace periodically. A used filter can be regenerated in different ways, granular carbon can
be regenerated easily by oxidizing the organic matter. The efficiency of the active carbon
decreases by 5 - 10%. A small part of the active carbon is destroyed during the regeneration
process and must be replaced. If you work with different columns in series, you can assure
that you will not have a total exhaustion of your purification system.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE PERFORMANCE OF ACTIVE CARBON IN

WATER:

The type of compound to be removed. Compounds with high molecular weight and

low solubility are better absorbed.

The concentration of the compound to be removed. The higher the concentration, the

higher the carbon consumption.

Presence of other organic compounds which will compete for the available adsorption

sites.
The pH of the waste stream. For example, acidic compounds are better removed at
lower pH.

EFFICIENCY:
According to this we can classify some chemicals by their probability of being efficiently
adsorbed by active carbon in water:

1.- Chemicals with very high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon:
2,4-D

Deisopropyltatrazine

Linuron

Alachlor

Desethylatrazine

Malathion

Aldrin

Demeton-O

MCPA

Anthracene

Di-n-butylphthalate

Mecoprop

Atrazine

1,2-Dichlorobenzene

Metazachlor

Azinphos-ethyl

1,3-Dichlorobenzene

2-Methyl benzenamine

Bentazone

1,4-Dichlorobenzene

Methyl naphthalene

Biphenil

2,4-Dichlorocresol

2-Methylbutane

2,2-Bipyridine

2,5-Dichlorophenol

Monuron

Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)Phthalate

3,6-Dichlorophenol

Napthalene

Bromacil

2,4-Dichlorophenoxy

Nitrobenzene

Bromodichloromethane

Dieldrin

m-Nitrophenol

p-Bromophenol

Diethylphthalate

o-Nitrophenol

Butylbenzene

2,4-Dinitrocresol

p-Nitrophenol

Calcium Hypochloryte

2,4-Dinitrotoluene

Ozone

Carbofuran

2,6-Dinitrotoluene

Parathion

Chlorine

Diuron

Pentachlorophenol

Chlorine dioxide

Endosulfan

Propazine

Chlorobenzene

Endrin

Simazine

4-Chloro-2-nitrotoluene

Ethylbenzene

Terbutryn

2-Chlorophenol

Hezachlorobenzene

Tetrachloroethylene

Chlorotoluene

Hezachlorobutadiene

Triclopyr

Chrysene

Hexane

1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene

m-Cresol

Isodrin

m-Xylene

Cyanazine

Isooctane

o-Xylene

Cyclohexane

Isoproturon

p-Xylene

DDT

Lindane

2,4-Xylenol

2.- Chemicals with high probability of being adsorbed by active carbon:

Aniline

Dibromo-3-chloropropane

1-Pentanol

Benzene

Dibromochloromethane

Phenol

Benzyl alcohol

1,1-Dichloroethylene

Phenylalanine

Benzoic acid

cis-1,2- Dichloroethylene

o-Phthalic acid

Bis(2-chloroethyl) ether

trans-1,2- Dichloroethylene

Styrene

Bromodichloromethane

1,2-Dichloropropane

1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane

Bromoform

Ethylene

Toluene

Carbon tetrachloride

Hydroquinone

1,1,1-Trichloroethane

1-Chloropropane

Methyl Isobutyl Ketone

Trichloroethylene

Chlorotoluron

4-Methylbenzenamine

Vinyl acetate

3.- Chemicals with moderate probability of being adsorbed by active carbon*:

Acetic acid

Dimethoate

Methionine

Acrylamide

Ethyl acetate

Methyl-tert-butyl ether

Chloroethane

Ethyl ether

Methyl ethyl ketone

Chloroform

Freon 11

Pyridine

1,1-Dichloroethane

Freon 113

1,1,2-Trichloroethane

1,2-Dichloroethane

Freon 12

Vinyl chloride

1,3-Dichloropropene

Glyphosate

Dikegulac

Imazypur

*(For this chemicals active carbon is only effective in certain cases).

4.- Chemicals for which adsorption with active carbon is unlikely to be effective. However it
may be viable in certain cases such as for low flow or concentrations:
Acetone

Methylene chloride

Acetonitrile

1-Propanol

Acrylonitrile

Propionitrile

Dimethylformaldehyde

Propylene

1,4-Dioxane

Tetrahydrofuran

Isopropyl alcohol

Urea

Methyl chloride

APPLICATIONS:

Ground water purification

The de-chlorination of process water
Water purification for swimming pools
The polishing of treated effluent

REFERENCES:

Activated Carbon for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Integration of Adsorption and

Biological Treatment
http://www.watertreatmentguide.com/activated_carbon_filtration.htm
www.lenntech.com
Water Treatment by Adsorptive Procedures in Ullmanns Encyclopedia