HIGH EFFICIENCY ACTIVATED CARBON FOR DRINKING WATER TREATMENT

A HIGH EFFICIENCY ACTIVATED CARBON GRANULE WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR DRINKING WATER TREATMENT. THE FOUNDATION FOR THIS HIGH EFFICIENCY GRANULE IS A SUPERACTIVATED CARBON WITH A BET SURFACE AREA IN EXCESS OF 3000 M(2)/GM USING THE STANDARD PROCEDURE BY BRUNAUER, EMMETT, AND TELLER, AND AN IODINE NUMBER GREATER THAN 3000 MG/G. TWO GRANULATIN TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE EXPLORED: SPHERICAL AGGLOMERATION AND EXTRUSION. THE GRANULATED POWDER WILL BE EVALUATED FOR ADSORPTION PERFORMANCE BOTH IN AN EQUILIBRIUM TEST, VIA ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS, AND A DYNAMIC TEST USING A MINI-ADSORPTION COLUMN. THREE CHEMICALS, IDENTIFIED BY THE EPA AS SERIOUS WATER CONTAMINANTS, WILL BE USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: CHLOROFORM, TRICHLOROETHYLENE AND BENZENE. THE ADSORPTION PERFORMANCE WILL BE ASSESSED WITH BOTH SINGLE AND MULTI-COMPONENT SOLUTIONS. REGENERATION OF THE SPENT CARBON AND ACTIVATION PROCEDURES WILL ALSO BE INVESTIGATED. IF SUCCESSFUL, A HIGH EFFICIENCY DRINKING WATER-TREATMENT CARBON WILL ACHIEVE HIGH LEVELS OF CONTAMINANT REMOVAL AND LAST LONGER BEFORE ITS ADSORPTION CAPACITY IS EXHAUSTED.