Activated Carbon Testing
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Introduction
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| Adsorption, a process describes the adhesion of dissolved substances to the surface of the solid. Activated carbon has large internal surface up to 1500 m2/g which is more useful than other material available for physical adsorption. Activated carbon acts as the ideal solid for adsorption to remove soluble organic substances in municipal and waste water treatment applications. To determine carbon usage, effectiveness and relative advantages in liquid phase applications, a complete experimental evaluation which consists of isotherm test and column tests are required.
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| Porous activated carbon particle provides a large surface area for water treatment applications (Lemley et al.,1995)
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Isotherm Testing
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| GEE offers technical consulting and laboratory testing for all types of activated carbon. Isotherm testing determines the quantitative performance of activated carbon such as its ability and capacity of adsorption. The relationship between the concentration of adsorbate (e.g. phenol or methylene blue) and the capacity of the carbon can be identified. High resolution isotherm curves can be generated from our specialized equipment by our lab experts.
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| Adsorption Isotherm (Schneiter & et al.,1985)
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Column Testing
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| To find out qualitative performance of activated carbon, isotherm testing is followed by column testing. Column testing requires equipment which consists of columns arranged in series and tested at different linear velocities. The greatest challenges of column testing are the impact of back mixing, axial dispersion and wall effects. The data can be obtained from column testing are as shown below:
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- Usage of carbon in actual on-site operation
- Minimum contact time necessary for treatment process
- Requirement for pre-treatment
- Depth of mass transfer zone
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| Column Arrangement for Pilot Testing (Gabelman, 2017)
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Reference:
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Gabelman, A. (2017). Adsorption Basics Part 1. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AlChE).
Retrieved from URL [ 5 January 2021]
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Lemley, A. et al. (1995). Activated Carbon Treatment of Drinking Water. Cornell University Cooperative Extension.
Retrieved from URL [Accessed 5 January 2021]
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Schneiter, R. W., et al. (1985). A Carbon Adsorption Isotherm Test for Volatile Organic Chemicals in Water. Journal (Water Pollution Control Federation), vol. 57, no. 5, 1985, pp. 403–405.
Retrieved from URL [Accessed 5 Jan. 2021]
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