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Title: Selecting activated carbon for water and wastewater treatability studies

Abstract

A series of follow-up investigations were performed to produce data for improving the four-indicator carbon selection method that we developed to identify high-potential activated carbons effective for removing specific organic water pollutants. The carbon's pore structure and surface chemistry are dependent on the raw material and the activation process. Coconut carbons have relatively more small pores than large pores; coal and apricot nutshell/walnut shell fruit carbons have the desirable pore structures for removing adsorbates of all sizes. Chemical activation, excessive activation, and/or thermal reactivation enlarge small pores, resulting in reduced phenol number and higher tannic acid number. Activated carbon's phenol, iodine, methylene blue, and tannic acid numbers are convenient indicators of its surface area and pore volume of pore diameters < 10, 10-15, 15-28, and > 28 angstrom, respectively. The phenol number of a carbon is also a good indicator of its surface acidity of oxygen-containing organic functional groups that affect the adsorptive capacity for aromatic and other small polar organics. The tannic acid number is an indicator of carbon's capacity for large, high-molecular-weight natural organic precursors of disinfection by-products in water treatment. The experimental results for removing nitrobenzene, methyl-tert-butyl ether, 4,4-bisphenol, humic acid, and the organic constituents of amore » biologically treated coking-plant effluent have demonstrated the effectiveness of this capacity-indicator-based method of carbon selection.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. East China University of Chemical Technology, Shanghai (China)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
20969882
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Environmental Progress
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 26; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0278-4491
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; ACTIVATED CARBON; COAL; COCONUTS; PORE STRUCTURE; CHEMICAL ACTIVATION; WATER TREATMENT; WASTE WATER; COKING PLANTS; NITROBENZENE; ETHERS; PHENOLS; HUMIC ACIDS; REMOVAL

Citation Formats

Zhang, W, Chang, Q G, Liu, W D, Li, B J, Jiang, W X, Fu, L J, and Ying, W C. Selecting activated carbon for water and wastewater treatability studies. United States: N. p., 2007. Web. doi:10.1002/ep.10222.
Zhang, W, Chang, Q G, Liu, W D, Li, B J, Jiang, W X, Fu, L J, & Ying, W C. Selecting activated carbon for water and wastewater treatability studies. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.10222
Zhang, W, Chang, Q G, Liu, W D, Li, B J, Jiang, W X, Fu, L J, and Ying, W C. 2007. "Selecting activated carbon for water and wastewater treatability studies". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.10222.
@article{osti_20969882,
title = {Selecting activated carbon for water and wastewater treatability studies},
author = {Zhang, W and Chang, Q G and Liu, W D and Li, B J and Jiang, W X and Fu, L J and Ying, W C},
abstractNote = {A series of follow-up investigations were performed to produce data for improving the four-indicator carbon selection method that we developed to identify high-potential activated carbons effective for removing specific organic water pollutants. The carbon's pore structure and surface chemistry are dependent on the raw material and the activation process. Coconut carbons have relatively more small pores than large pores; coal and apricot nutshell/walnut shell fruit carbons have the desirable pore structures for removing adsorbates of all sizes. Chemical activation, excessive activation, and/or thermal reactivation enlarge small pores, resulting in reduced phenol number and higher tannic acid number. Activated carbon's phenol, iodine, methylene blue, and tannic acid numbers are convenient indicators of its surface area and pore volume of pore diameters < 10, 10-15, 15-28, and > 28 angstrom, respectively. The phenol number of a carbon is also a good indicator of its surface acidity of oxygen-containing organic functional groups that affect the adsorptive capacity for aromatic and other small polar organics. The tannic acid number is an indicator of carbon's capacity for large, high-molecular-weight natural organic precursors of disinfection by-products in water treatment. The experimental results for removing nitrobenzene, methyl-tert-butyl ether, 4,4-bisphenol, humic acid, and the organic constituents of a biologically treated coking-plant effluent have demonstrated the effectiveness of this capacity-indicator-based method of carbon selection.},
doi = {10.1002/ep.10222},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/20969882}, journal = {Environmental Progress},
issn = {0278-4491},
number = 3,
volume = 26,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2007},
month = {Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2007}
}