Prediction of Full-Scale GAC Adsorption of Organic Micropollutants

Abstract

Abstract The principal goal of this research was to develop a new scale-up procedure with which the adsorption of organic micropollutants (MPs) by granular activated carbon (GAC) can be predicted from bench-scale tests. To develop scale-up approaches, the adsorption of 29 environmentally relevant MPs was studied in both pilot-scale GAC adsorbers and rapid small-scale column tests that were based on the proportional diffusivity design (PD-RSSCT). Four surface waters with different dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were spiked with MPs at ng/L levels and tested in PD-RSSCTs simulating full-scale empty bed contact times of 7 and 15 min. Corresponding pilot-scale tests showed MP breakthrough occurred earlier than in PD-RSSCTs, and MP-specific differences between the PD-RSSCT and pilot column breakthrough curves were described by fouling parameters. On average, the PD-RSSCT overpredicted pilot-scale MP breakthrough by a factor of 3.0 ± 1.2 (n = 101). Two approaches were developed for predicting bed...