MIB Adsorption Research Articles

Carbon nanotube-coated Al2O3 materials for removing N-nitrosamines, 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin from water

Concern over safe drinking water has increased. In this study, aluminum oxide was coated with carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition using ethanol or methanol as precursors to remove N-nitrosamines, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin from water. Seven types of N-nitrosamines were investigated. The differences in the surface of the carbon nanotubes were attributed to the carbon precursors ethanol and methanol. Despite the high concentration of analytes, the adsorption capacity of both carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was around 19 mg/mg for MIB and geosmin. Against approximately 0.9 ng/mg for activated carbon. For N-nitrosamines, the adsorption capacity of CNTs reached 50 ng/mg for NDBA, N-nitrosamines with the highest molecular weight, while activated carbon had values below 6.0 ng/mg. The results showed π-π interactions play a dominant role in the adsorption of MIB and geosmin under the investigated conditions. On the other hand, for N-nitrosamines, both dipole-dipole and π-π interactions come into play, with the latter becoming more prominent as the molecular weight of N-nitrosamines increases. The removal efficiencies of CNT-coated aluminum oxide reached 84,0%. The analytes with longer carbon chains were removed more efficiently and CNT-coated aluminum oxide grown from ethanol or methanol had no statistical difference between the removal efficiencies of all evaluated analytes.

Process optimization and mechanism revealing of KMnO4 pre-oxidation coupled powdered activated carbon adsorption for 2-MIB removal

Taste and odor compounds such as 2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB) have been a long-term challenge in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and become increasingly concerning due to the implementation of stricter water quality regulations. The addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) is one of the most effective approaches to control 2-MIB during cyanobacterial blooms. In this study, the process optimization of PAC adsorption and potassium permanganate (KMnO4) pre-oxidation was investigated and the mechanisms of the observed results were revealed. When the raw water was firstly pre-oxidized and subsequently treated by PAC, the adsorption of 2-MIB was not affected by the pre-oxidation, no matter whether the KMnO4 was depleted or remained. Even though the molecular weight distribution of the natural organic matter (NOM) was altered by the pre-oxidation, the trend of the NOM removal by pre-KMnO4/post-PAC was similar to that of the KMnO4 pre-oxidation, indicating that the KMnO4 did not affect the following PAC adsorption. When the raw water was added with PAC and KMnO4 simultaneously, the adsorption of 2-MIB decreased with the increase of KMnO4 dosage. The adsorption efficiency of NOM with smaller molecular weights (<3 kDa) decreased and that of NOM with larger molecular weights (>3 kDa) increased. It was found that the shrink of the micropore volume (but not surface functional groups) resulted in the negative effect on PAC by KMnO4. Therefore, the general recommendation to the DWTPs is that try to dose KMnO4 as early as possible so the remaining KMnO4 will not pose a negative effect on PAC for 2-MIB removal. Our study provides both practical guidance and theoretical fundamentals on the operation of DWTPs with KMnO4 pre-oxidation and PAC for 2-MIB removal.

Mechanisms and application of the IAST-EBC model for predicting 2-MIB adsorption by PAC in authentic raw waters: Correlation between NOM competitiveness and water quality parameters

Natural organic matter (NOM) exerts negative impacts on 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) removal by powdered activated carbon (PAC), thus adding to the difficulty in accurate PAC dose prediction. Our study investigated the application of the ideal adsorbed solution theory-equivalent background compound (IAST-EBC) model and its simplified version for PAC dose prediction. Four raw water samples were employed, and the corresponding C0,EBC values, indicating NOM competitiveness, were calculated. The results showed that the IAST-EBC model presented ideal predictive performance in 2-MIB adsorption under both equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions and the C0,EBC values of the Huangpu River (8800 ng/L) and Qiantang River (10300 ng/L) were high, representing the higher NOM competitiveness in these two rivers, which may be caused by municipal effluent and industrial wastewater discharge. In contrast, Tai Lake water showed a lower C0,EBC value (6400 ng/L), which was likely associated with algae and other microbial activities. The fluorescence index (FI, the ratio of Ex/Em = 370/470 nm to Ex/Em = 370/520 nm) can be applied to estimate C0,EBC, thus facilitating prediction. Our study also showed that the IAST-EBC model can be further simplified under lower initial 2-MIB concentrations or longer contact times, which is particularly useful for practical applications.

Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol adsorption using different carbon materials: Isotherm, kinetic, multiple linear regression, and deep neural network modeling using a real drinking water source

High concentrations of geosmin (GSM) and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) caused by cyanobacterial blooms are problematic issues in drinking water treatment plants on the Nak-Dong River in South Korea. The goal of this study was to identify the best-performing carbon materials to treat GSM and MIB in river water and to predict the final concentrations of GSM and MIB according to different water quality parameters using computational predictive modeling, multiple linear regression (MLR), and a deep neural network (DNN) for practical applications. Three types of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and three types of mesoporous carbon (MC) were compared in terms of their adsorption capacities using a source of drinking water from the Nak-Dong River. The highest maximum adsorption capacities were achieved when using C-PAC (1485.06 μg/g) in both distilled water and river water. C-PAC possesses a high micropore volume (0.45 cm3/g), low mesopore volume (0.11 cm3/g), and small, narrow pore size distribution, yielding optimal adsorption conditions. PACs yielded better results than MCs because dominant mesopore structures can hinder the adsorption of small molecules (0.6–0.8 nm) and allow them to pass through pores. GSM was removed more effectively than MIB because GSM is more hydrophobic and has a flatter structure. The high dissolved organic carbon concentration in the river water caused no reduction in GSM and MIB adsorption, but actually enhanced adsorption because a small portion of natural organic matter can compete with adsorption sites and provide additional adsorption sites based on the shrunk pore effect. The MLR and DNN models were used to predict the removal efficiency of C-PAC for GSM and MIB using 72 individual datasets with cross-validation for robust prediction and sensitivity analysis. MLR predicted the relationships between the input variables and GSM and MIB concentrations with an acceptable mean absolute error (MAE) of 6.43 ng/L for GSM and 5.80 ng/L for MIB. However, the DNN provided better agreement with a higher R2 value (>0.99) and lower MAE of 1.67 ng/L for GSM and 1.24 ng/L for MIB.

TiO2-Powdered Activated Carbon (TiO2/PAC) for Removal and Photocatalytic Properties of 2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB) in Water

2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) is a common taste and odor compound caused by off-flavor secondary metabolites, which represents one of the greatest challenges for drinking water utilities worldwide. A TiO2-coated activated carbon (TiO2/PAC) has been synthesized using the sol-gel method. A new TiO2/PAC photocatalyst has been successfully employed in photodegradation of 2-MIB under UV light irradiation. In addition, the combined results of XRD, SEM-EDX, FTIR and UV-Vis suggested that the nano-TiO2 had been successfully loaded on the surface of PAC. Experimental results of 2-MIB removal indicated that the adsorption capacities of PAC for 2-MIB were higher than that of TiO2/PAC. However, in the natural organic matter (NOM) bearing water, the removal efficiency of 2-MIB by TiO2/PAC and PAC were 97.8% and 65.4%, respectively, under UV light irradiation. Moreover, it was shown that the presence of NOMs had a distinct effect on the removal of MIB by TiO2/PAC and PAC. In addition, a simplified equivalent background compound (SEBC) model could not only be used to describe the competitive adsorption of MIB and NOM, but also represent the photocatalytic process. In comparison to other related studies, there are a few novel composite photocatalysts that could efficiently and rapidly remove MIB by the combination of adsorption and photocatalysis.

Effects of pre, post, and simultaneous loading of natural organic matter on 2-methylisoborneol adsorption on superfine powdered activated carbon: Reversibility and external pore-blocking

Three different natural organic matter (NOM)-loading methods were compared for the adsorptive removal of 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) by superfine powdered activated carbon (SPAC) and conventionally-sized powdered activated carbon (PAC). The three NOM-loading methods were: NOM adsorption followed by MIB (MIB adsorption on NOM-preloaded carbon), MIB adsorption followed by NOM (MIB adsorption on NOM post-loaded carbon), and simultaneous NOM and MIB loading (MIB adsorption on NOM-simultaneously loaded carbon). MIB removals were similar for the smaller-sized carbon (SPAC) at higher AC dosages and at lower initial NOM concentrations. The similar MIB removals indicate direct site competition between MIB and NOM with MIB adsorption reversibility (complete desorption of MIB by NOM). At lower AC doses, especially for PACs, and at higher initial NOM concentrations, the adsorption of MIBs depended on the sequence of MIB or NOM adsorption. MIB removal was lowest for the NOM-preloaded carbon, followed by NOM-simultaneously loaded carbon. The highest MIB removal was achieved by post-loading of NOM, indicating that the adsorption is irreversible. MIB adsorption on SPAC was more reversible than on PAC, although the pore size distributions of the two carbons were similar. The high degree of adsorption irreversibility for PAC compared with SPAC indicated that pore blocking occurs due to NOM loading at the PAC particle surface. Images of the external adsorption were obtained using isotope mapping and 15N-labeled effluent organic matter.

Projecting competition between 2-methylisoborneol and natural organic matter in adsorption onto activated carbon from ozonated source waters

Though the ozone-activated carbon process has been widely applied for drinking water purification, little is known about how ozone-modified natural organic matter (NOM) competes with micropollutants in activated carbon adsorption. In this study, three natural waters and one synthetic water (standard humics solution) with highly heterogeneous NOM compositions were employed to investigate the interference of ozonated NOM with the adsorption of 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). Analysis using liquid chromatography with online carbon and UV254 detection (LC-OCD-UVD) revealed that ozonation led to various disintegration patterns of macromolecules in NOM, and UV absorbance was reduced markedly for nearly all NOM fractions. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption experiments showed that increasing ozone consumption coincided with reducing NOM competition against MIB in the three natural waters, as expressed by the fitted initial concentrations of the equivalent background compound (c0,EBC). In the synthetic water, in contrast, competition increased under low/moderate specific ozone consumptions and then decreased with further elevation of ozone consumptions. Regarding the significance on affecting ozonated NOM interference, aromaticity reduction outweighed formation of low molecular weight (LMW) organics in most cases, enhancing MIB adsorption capacity. However, disintegration of the humics fraction with larger molecular weight (1,103 g/mol, as compared to 546–697 g/mol in three natural waters) into smaller, more competitive fractions caused the observed initial deteriorated MIB adsorption in synthetic water. A superior correlation between c0,EBC and the UV absorbance of LMW organics (R2 = 0.93) over concentrations of LMW organics underlined the importance of the aromatic properties in competitive adsorption projection for ozone pretreated natural waters. Furthermore, the change of relative concentration of UV absorbing compounds during ozonation could help estimate the decrease of c0,EBC, which could be a promising tool for waterworks to adjust PAC doses for MIB removal in ozonated waters.

Rapid prediction of the activated carbon adsorption ratio by a regression model.

Regression analysis of micropore volume and particle size of powdered activated carbon (PAC) is applied to develop a model to predict the adsorption ratio of a non-polar compound, 2-methylisorneol (2-MIB), onto PACs. This model likewise predicts the adsorption ratio of the same PACs and other PACs in background water containing similar natural organic matter (NOM). When this model is used to predict the same PACs adsorption ratios at 30 and 50mgL-1, the respective percent sample deviations standard error (SDEV) is of 30% SDEV and 12% were obtained. Further, the model is also employed for the prediction of 2-MIB adsorption capacities for 12 different PACs in water with similar NOM at the same dosages, with average SDEV values of 44% and 28%, respectively. Results indicate that 2-MIB adsorption occurrs mainly through the micropore filling mechanism. Nevertheless, when this model is expanded to predict PAC adsorption of NOM with different properties in water, the results exhibited rather large errors. Though this model cannot be applied to waters containing NOM with different properties, it provides information for water utilities themselves or the ones using similar source water to predict the PAC dosage without any adsorption experiment when change of PAC is needed.

Application of Graphene Oxide for Adsorption Removal of Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol in the Presence of Natural Organic Matter.

We investigated the adsorption characteristics of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) on graphene oxide (GO) in the absence and presence of natural organic matter (NOM). The graphene oxide had fast adsorption kinetics for both compounds because of its open-layered structure, with adsorption equilibrium being achieved within 15 min of contact. Although NOM did not affect the adsorption of geosmin on GO, it delayed that of MIB, probably because of competition for adsorption sites. The adsorption isotherms show that GO had a greater capacity for geosmin adsorption than for MIB because geosmin was more hydrophobic. Moreover, NOM interfered with the adsorption of MIB onto the GO, but increased the amount of adsorbed geosmin, which likely occurred because NOM increased the dispersibility of GO, which then increased the number of GO adsorption sites. The difference in the effects of NOM on GO adsorption of geosmin and MIB may be explained by their hydrophobicity. Although the adsorption of geosmin and MIB by GO was fast, its capacity to adsorb both compounds was substantially lower than that of activated carbon because of its higher hydrophilicity.

A Simple Alternative Method for Preservation of 2-Methylisoborneol in Water Samples.

2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB) is one of the most commonly observed taste and odor (T&O) compounds present in drinking water sources. As it is biodegradable, a preservation agent, typically mercury chloride, is needed if the water is not analyzed right after sampling. Since mercury is a toxic metal, an alternative chemical that is cheaper and less toxic is desirable. In this study, two chemicals commonly used in water treatment processes, chlorine (as sodium hypochlorite) and KMnO4 (potassium permanganate), are studied to determine their feasibility as preservation agents for 2-MIB in water. Preservation experiments were first conducted in deionized water spiked with 2-MIB and with chlorine or permanganate at 4 and 25 °C. The results indicate that 2-MIB concentrations in the water samples spiked with both chemicals remained almost constant within 14 days for all the tested conditions, suggesting that oxidation and volatilization did not cause the loss of 2-MIB in the system. The experiments were further conducted for three different reservoir water samples with 30–60 ng/L of indulgent 2-MIB. The experimental results demonstrated that preservation with permanganate may have underestimated the 2-MIB concentration in the samples as a result of the formation of manganese dioxide particles in natural water and adsorption of 2-MIB onto the particles. Chlorine was demonstrated to be a good preservation agent for all three tested natural waters since oxidation of 2-MIB was negligible and biodegradation was inhibited. When the residual chlorine concentrations were controlled to be higher than 0.5 mg/L on the final day (day 14) of the experiments, the concentration reduction of 2-MIB became lower than 13% at both of the tested temperatures. The results demonstrated that sodium hypochlorite can be used as an alternative preservation agent for 2-MIB in water before analysis.

Micro-milling of spent granular activated carbon for its possible reuse as an adsorbent: Remaining capacity and characteristics

We milled granular activated carbons (GACs) that had been used for 0–9 years in water treatment plants and produced carbon particles with different sizes and ages: powdered activated carbons (PAC, median diameter 12–42 μm), superfine PAC (SPAC, 0.9–3.5 μm), and submicron-sized SPAC (SSPAC, 220–290 nm). The fact that SPAC produced from 1-year-old GAC and SSPAC from 2-year-old GAC removed 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) from water with an efficiency similar to that of virgin PAC after a carbon contact time of 30 min suggests that spent GAC could be reused for water treatment after being milled. This potential for reuse was created by increasing the equilibrium adsorption capacity via reduction of the carbon particle size and improving the adsorption kinetics. During long-term (>1 year) use in GAC beds, the volume of pores in the carbon, particularly pores with widths of 0.6–0.9 nm, was greatly reduced. The equilibrium adsorption capacities of the carbon for compounds with molecular sizes in this range could therefore decrease with increasing carbon age. Among these compounds, the decreases of capacities were prominent for hydrophobic compounds, including MIB. For hydrophobic compounds, however, the equilibrium adsorption capacities could be increased with decreasing carbon particle size. The iodine number, among other indices, was best correlated with the equilibrium adsorption capacity of the MIB and would be a good index to assess the remaining MIB adsorption capacity of spent carbon. Spent GAC can possibly be reused as SPAC or SSPAC if its iodine number is ≥ 600 mg/g.

Prediction of powdered activated carbon doses for 2-MIB removal in drinking water treatment using a simplified HSDM approach

The addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) is an effective measure to cope with seasonal taste and odor (T&O) problems caused by 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and trans-1, 10-dimethyl-trans-9-decalol (geosmin) in drinking water. Some T&O problems are episodic in nature, and generally require rapid responses. This paper proposed a simplified approach for the application of the homogenous surface diffusion model (HSDM) to predict the appropriate PAC doses for the removal of 2-MIB. Equilibrium and kinetic experiments were performed for 2-MIB adsorption onto five PACs in three source waters. The simplified HSDM approach was compared with the experimental data, by assigning the Freundlich 1/n value in the range of 0.1–1.0 and obtaining the Freundlich equilibrium parameter K value through a 6-hr adsorption kinetic test. The model describes the kinetic adsorption data very well for all of the tested PACs in different source waters. The results were validated using the data obtained from one full scale water treatment plant, and the differences between the predicted and observed results were within 10% range. This simplified HSDM approach may be applied for the rapid determination of PAC doses for water treatment plants when faced with 2-MIB episodes in source waters.

Modeling nonequilibrium adsorption of MIB and sulfamethoxazole by powdered activated carbon and the role of dissolved organic matter competition.

This study demonstrates that the ideal adsorbed solution theory-equivalent background compound (IAST-EBC) as a stand-alone model can simulate and predict the powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption of organic micropollutants found in drinking water sources in the presence of background dissolved organic matter (DOM) under nonequilibrium conditions. The IAST-EBC represents the DOM competitive effect as an equivalent background compound (EBC). When adsorbing 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) with PAC, the EBC initial concentration was a similar percentage, on average 0.51%, of the dissolved organic carbon in eight nonwastewater impacted surface waters. Using this average percentage in the IAST-EBC model yielded good predictions for MIB removal in two nonwastewater impacted waters. The percentage of competitive DOM was significantly greater in wastewater impacted surface waters, and varied markedly in DOM size fractions. Fluorescence parameters exhibited a strong correlation with the percentage of competitive DOM in these waters. Utilizing such correlations in the IAST-EBC successfully modeled MIB and sulfamethoxazole adsorption by three different PACs in the presence of DOM that varied in competitive effect. The influence of simultaneous coagulant addition on PAC adsorption of micropollutants was also investigated. Coagulation caused the DOM competitive effect to increase and decrease with MIB and sulfamethoxazole, respectively.

Removal of 2-methylisoborneol from aqueous solution by cattle manure compost (CMC) derived activated carbons

The objective of this study is the synthesis of activated carbon derived from cattle manure compost (CMC) causing environmental problems using zinc chloride (ZnCl2) activation and to examine the suitability and performance of the prepared activated carbon (PAC) in removing 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) from aqueous solution. The influence of ZnCl 2/CMC ratios and outgassing from the PACs on the removal of 2-MIB were studied. Pore texture and surface functional groups were obtained to characterize the PACs. It is suggested that the increase of micropore surface area and volume as a result of the activation favored the removal of 2-MIB while activated carbon rich in acidic functional groups showed poor 2-MIB adsorption. The preferable removal of 2-MIB depended on the poor acidic functional groups and the higher micropore surface area in the PACs. A sample of the PACs was synthesized at a lower temperature (around 550 WC) compared to commercially available activated carbon (CAAC) (around 900 °C). The sample showed a performance for 2-MIB removal for drinking water purification as well as CAAC. Furthermore from the results of N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and 2-MIB adsorption isotherm in aqueous solution pore structure of PACs and 2-MIB adsorption mechanism on it were suggested.

Interference of iron as a coagulant on MIB removal by powdered activated carbon adsorption for low turbidity waters

Powered activated carbon (PAC) is widely used in water treatment plants to minimize odors in drinking water. This study investigated the removal of 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) by PAC adsorption, combined with coagulation using iron as a coagulant. The adsorption and coagulation process were studied through different case scenarios of jar tests. The analysis evaluated the effect of PAC dosing in the liquid phase immediately before or after the coagulant addition. Ferric sulphate was used as the coagulant with dosages from 10 to 30 mg/L, and PAC dosages varied from 10 to 40 mg/L. The highest MIB removal efficiency (about 70%) was achieved without the coagulant addition and with the highest PAC dosage (40 mg/L). Lower MIB removal efficiencies were observed in the presence of coagulant, showing a clear interference of the iron precipitate or coagulant in the adsorption process. The degree of interference of the coagulation process in the MIB removal was proportional to the ratio of ferric hydroxide mass to the PAC mass. For both cases of PAC dosing, upstream and downstream of the coagulant injection point, the MIB removal efficiency was similar. However, MIB removal efficiency was 15% lower when compared with experiments without the coagulant application. This interference in the MIB adsorption occurs potentially because the coagulant coats the surface of the carbon and interferes with the MIB coming in contact with the carbon's surface and pores. This constraint requires an increase of the PAC dosage to provide the same efficiency observed without coagulation.

The adsorption mechanism and rapid screening of activated carbon for 2-methylisoborneol adsorption

The adsorption capacity of 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) on activated carbon (AC) does not correlate with that of natural organic matter (NOM) because the adsorption property of each organic compound depends on the surface condition of AC such as pore size distribution, oxygen content and the type and number of surface functional groups. Here it was shown that the adsorption capacity of 2-MIB on AC did not correlate with that of NOM as measured by surrogate parameter of ultraviolet absorbance at 260 nm (UVA 260) in environmental water, and therefore, the adsorption mechanism was examined. Additionally, the adsorption mechanism of 2-MIB on AC was studied in distilled water, prepared according to the Japanese Standard Method. The 2-MIB adsorption mechanism was estimated from three types of adsorption isotherms (Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin) based on the concordance between the adsorption isotherms and experimental adsorption data. Furthermore, adsorption isotherm confidence regions were estimated from the three adsorption isotherms based on statistical analysis and used for the rapid screening of AC for 2-MIB adsorption. [TANSO 2013 (No. 257) 124–134]

Granular activated carbon adsorption of MIB in the presence of dissolved organic matter

Based on the results of over twenty laboratory granular activated carbon (GAC) column runs, models were developed and utilized for the prediction of 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) breakthrough behavior at parts per trillion levels and verified with pilot-scale data. The influent MIB concentration was found not to impact the concentration normalized breakthrough. Increasing influent background dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration was found to systematically decrease the GAC adsorption capacity for MIB. A series of empirical models were developed that related the throughput in bed volumes for a range of MIB breakthrough targets to the influent DOM concentration. The proportional diffusivity (PD) designed rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) could be directly used to scale-up MIB breakthrough performance below 15% breakthrough. The empirical model to predict the throughput to 50% breakthrough based on the influent DOM concentration served as input to the pore diffusion model (PDM) and well-predicted the MIB breakthrough performance below a 50% breakthrough. The PDM predictions of throughput to 10% breakthrough well simulated the PD-RSSCT and pilot-scale 10% MIB breakthrough.

The adsorption mechanism and rapid screening of activated carbon for 2-methylisoborneol adsorption

The adsorption capacity of 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) on activated carbon (AC) does not correlate with that of natural organic matter (NOM) because the adsorption property of each organic compound depends on the surface condition of AC such as pore size distribution, oxygen content and the type and number of surface functional groups. Here it was shown that the adsorption capacity of 2-MIB on AC did not correlate with that of NOM as measured by surrogate parameter of ultraviolet absorbance at 260 nm (UVA 260) in environmental water, and therefore, the adsorption mechanism was examined. Additionally, the adsorption mechanism of 2-MIB on AC was studied in distilled water, prepared according to the Japanese Standard Method. The 2-MIB adsorption mechanism was estimated from three types of adsorption isotherms (Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin) based on the concordance between the adsorption isotherms and experimental adsorption data. Furthermore, adsorption isotherm confidence regions were estimated from the three adsorption isotherms based on statistical analysis and used for the rapid screening of AC for 2-MIB adsorption.

Characteristics of competitive adsorption between 2-methylisoborneol and natural organic matter on superfine and conventionally sized powdered activated carbons

When treating water with activated carbon, natural organic matter (NOM) is not only a target for adsorptive removal but also an inhibitory substance that reduces the removal efficiency of trace compounds, such as 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), through adsorption competition. Recently, superfine (submicron-sized) activated carbon (SPAC) was developed by wet-milling commercially available powdered activated carbon (PAC) to a smaller particle size. It was reported that SPAC has a larger NOM adsorption capacity than PAC because NOM mainly adsorbs close to the external adsorbent particle surface (shell adsorption mechanism). Thus, SPAC with its larger specific external surface area can adsorb more NOM than PAC. The effect of higher NOM uptake on the adsorptive removal of MIB has, however, not been investigated. Results of this study show that adsorption competition between NOM and MIB did not increase when NOM uptake increased due to carbon size reduction; i.e., the increased NOM uptake by SPAC did not result in a decrease in MIB adsorption capacity beyond that obtained as a result of NOM adsorption by PAC. A simple estimation method for determining the adsorbed amount of competing NOM (NOM that reduces MIB adsorption) is presented based on the simplified equivalent background compound (EBC) method. Furthermore, the mechanism of adsorption competition is discussed based on results obtained with the simplified EBC method and the shell adsorption mechanism. Competing NOM, which likely comprises a small portion of NOM, adsorbs in internal pores of activated carbon particles as MIB does, thereby reducing the MIB adsorption capacity to a similar extent regardless of adsorbent particle size. SPAC application can be advantageous because enhanced NOM removal does not translate into less effective removal of MIB. Molecular size distribution data of NOM suggest that the competing NOM has a molecular weight similar to that of the target compound.

Screening of powdered activated carbons to remove 2-methylisoborneol for drinking water

A 95% confidence interval was estimated from 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) numbers, as an index of adsorption capacity described in this article, for 31 different powdered activated carbons (PACs) used for drinking water purification. The seven PACs selected in this study were chosen as five of them were within the 95% confidence interval and the other two PACs were not. The PACs were assessed based on previous studies, which represented the relationships between 2-MIB adsorption capacity and surface area, pore distribution, bulk oxygen content and surface oxygen functional groups. From the results, we assumed the 2-MIB adsorption mechanism and studied relationships between 2-MIB number and ash content of PAC or pH value of PAC slurry. It was shown that the 2-MIB number correlated with the ash content and the pH value. Easily measurable ash content and pH values would help a water supplier briefly screen PACs for removing 2-MIB at a water purification facility.