Insights into chemical regeneration of activated carbon for water treatment
File(s)
Author(s)
Larasati, Amanda
Fowler, Geoffrey D
Graham, Nigel JD
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption has found wide application as a treatment process for the removal of natural organic matter, small organic compounds (e.g. pesticides), inorganic compounds (e.g. heavy metals), taste and odour compounds in water over many years. During GAC operation, contaminants are adsorbed and the carbon becomes progressively saturated over time, requiring periodic regeneration of the media to restore its capacity. Chemical regeneration has been identified as an effective alternative to off-site thermal regeneration, which is the most commonly practiced carbon regeneration technique for carbon exhausted by organic contaminants. Off-site thermal regeneration poses significant disadvantages as it is a time-consuming process and represents a significant operational cost (e.g. reduced productivity) and environmental (energy/CO2) burden to water utilities. Chemical regeneration can be performed on-site, either in situ or off-line, by exposing the spent (exhausted) GAC to a selected chemical, or a combination of chemicals, to remove the adsorbed contaminants. Prior research on chemical regeneration has been limited in extent, but has considered both organic and inorganic solutions. Despite a significant number of studies, a suitable regenerant solution for desorbing a wide range of aqueous contaminants in drinking water treatment has not been identified to-date. In this paper, we provide a critical review of the performance of alternative regenerant solutions for the chemical regeneration of GAC loaded with different organic contaminants.
Date Issued
2021-08-01
Date Acceptance
2021-04-19
Citation
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2021, 9 (4)
ISSN
2213-3437
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume
9
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Northumbrian Water
Anglian Water Services Ltd
Severn Trent Water Ltd
Thames Water Utilities Ltd
Yorkshire Water Plc
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000670386400009&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
TBC
4504762231
RWD15-002 - PhD Studentship
TBC
T0802/2/1/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Engineering, Environmental
Engineering, Chemical
Engineering
Chemical regeneration
Solvent regeneration
Granular activated carbon (GAC)
Water treatment
THERMAL REGENERATION
SURFACE-CHEMISTRY
ELECTROCHEMICAL REGENERATION
PERSULFATE OXIDATION
SOLVENT REGENERATION
DESORPTION-KINETICS
ORGANIC DESORPTION
AROMATIC-COMPOUNDS
PHENOL ADSORPTION
AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 105555
Date Publish Online
2021-04-23