Using Activated Carbon to Remove Toxicity From Drinking Water Containing Cyanobacterial Blooms

Abstract

Toxic blooms of cyanobacteria, including Anabaena species, which are neurotoxic, and Microcystis, which is hepatotoxic, are becoming increasingly common in potable water sources. Normal flocculation and chlorination processes do not remove the toxicity. The laboratory and pilot‐plant experiments described in this article showed that the toxicity can be removed by both powdered and granular activated carbon, with and without chlorination, alum flocculation, and polyelectrolyte addition.