Activated Carbon Adsorption Process Research Articles

The effects of pH and suspended solids in the removal of organics from waters and wastewaters by the activated carbon adsorption process

The effects of pH, inorganic suspended solids and organic suspended solids on the adsorption of organics by activated carbon were investigated using sewage effluents and selected organic compounds of varying size, structure, molecular weight and properties in model solutions. It was found that suspended solids, and in particular organic suspended solids, could interfere with the adsorption process, both in terms of adsorption capacity and adsorption rate; the effect of the solids diminished as the size of the adsorbate increased. The effect of pH variation became more significant as the acidity or basicity of the adsorbate in solution increased. Adsorption of organics from biologically treated sewage effluents was somewhat more effective in the acid and alkaline pH regions than in the neutral pH region.