Application of activated carbon fiber as the substrate in biofiltration-nanofiltration process treating surface water
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This study has evaluated different types of carbon fiber (CF) biofiltration media in terms of their efficiency in mitigating nanofiltration (NF) fouling and their ability to remove natural organic matter (NOM) and disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP). Compared to direct NF, a combined CF biofiltration-NF system enhanced dissolved organic carbon and DBPFP removal by up to 32.6% and 39.1%, respectively, achieving final removal rates of 78.45% and 85%. Furthermore, this combined system reduced irreversible NF fouling by up to 44.5%. Specifically, activated carbon fiber (ACF) exhibited a greater tendency to remove low-molecular-weight organics, thus achieving greater performance. Microbial sequencing and correlation analyses further indicated that the microbial communities were significantly influenced by the physicochemical properties of the CF, such as microporosity, electrical resistance, and surface functional groups. Pore size distribution and carboxyl content were shown to promote the enrichment of dominant species such as Pseudomonadota, Chloroflexota, and Bacillota. This led to a higher expression of fatty acid metabolism and the citric acid cycle, contributing to the degradation and removal of DOM and DBPFP. Overall, this study demonstrates the promising potential of applying CF as a biofiltration substrate to improve subsequent NF processes, and achieving greater water treatment performance overall by the combined CF-NF process.
Date Issued
2026-07-05
Date Acceptance
2026-03-09
Citation
Separation and Purification Technology, 2026, 394 (Part 2)
ISSN
1383-5866
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
Separation and Purification Technology
Volume
394
Issue
Part 2
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
137551
Date Publish Online
2026-03-10