Many water treatment plants need to remove objectionable trace organic compounds, and activated carbon adsorption is often the best available technology. Utilities face the challenge of having to choose from a large variety of activated carbons, and iodine number or BET surface area values are often utilized in the selection process. Although neither parameter correlates well with adsorption capacities, alternative activated carbon selection criteria based on fundamental adsorbent and adsorbate properties are lacking to date. The first objective of this research was to systematically evaluate the effects of activated carbon pore structure and surface chemistry on the adsorption of two common drinking water contaminants: the relatively polar fuel oxygenate methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) and the relatively nonpolar solvent trichloroethene (TCE). The second objective was to develop simple descriptors of activated carbon characteristics that facilitate the selection of suitable adsorbents for the removal of organic contaminants from drinking water.Originally published by AwwaRF for its subscribers in 2003 This publication can also be purchased and downloaded via Pay Per View on Water Intelligence Online - click on the Pay Per View icon below

Activated Carbon Surfaces in Environmental Remediation provides a comprehensive summary of the environmental applications of activated carbons. In order to understand the removal of contaminants and pollutants on activated carbons, the theoretical bases of adsorption phenomena are discussed. The effects of pore structure and surface chemistry are also addressed from both science and engineering perspectives. Each chapter provides examples of real applications with an emphasis on the role of the carbon surface in adsorption or reactive adsorption. The practical aspects addressed in this book cover the broad spectrum of applications from air and water cleaning and energy storage to warfare gas removal and biomedical applications. This book can serve as a handbook or reference book for graduate students, researchers and practitioners with an interest in filtration, water treatment, adsorbents and air cleaning, in addition to environmental policies and regulations. Addresses fundamental carbon science and how it relates to applications of carbon surfaces Describes the broad spectrum of activated carbon applications in environmental remediation Serves as a handbook or reference book for graduate students, researchers and practitioners in the field

Synthetic and commercial activated carbons are characterised for several chemical and physical properties. A range of techniques is used to establish correlations between physicochemical parameters and gold-adsorption activities. The most important parameter in the carbon activation process for a product with a high gold-adsorption activity is the activation temperature. High activation temperatures yield products with large micropore volumes which provides sites that are ideal in size for adsorption. The surface area of an activated carbon is not necessarily a good measure of its adsorption activity. Surface oxygen-containing functional groups are comprised mainly of ethers and hydroxyls. These functional groups line the edges of the micropores imparting a polar character to the pore and aid in the solvation of the adsorbate. Oxidants such as nitric acid result in a proliferation of surface carboxyl groups resulting in a negatively-charged surface that is not conducive to the adsorption of gold.

Adsorption by Carbons covers the most significant aspects of adsorption by carbons, attempting to fill the existing gap between the fields of adsorption and carbonaceous materials. Both basic and applied aspects are presented. The first section of the book introduces physical adsorption and carbonaceous materials, and is followed by a section concerning the fundamentals of adsorption by carbons. This leads to development of a series of theoretical concepts that serve as an introduction to the following section in which adsorption is mainly envisaged as a tool to characterize the porous texture and surface chemistry of carbons. Particular attention is paid to some novel nanocarbons, and the electrochemistry of adsorption by carbons is also addressed. Finally, several important technological applications of gas and liquid adsorption by carbons in areas such as environmental protection and energy storage constitute the last section of the book. - The first book to address the interplay between carbonaceous materials and adsorption - Includes important environmental applications, such as the removal of volatile organic compounds from polluted atmospheres - Covers both gas-solid and liquid-solid adsorption

The principal objectives of this research were (1) to identify activated pore structure and surface chemistry characteristics that assure the effective removal of trace organic contaminants from aqueous solution, and (2) to develop a procedure to predict the adsorption capacity of activated carbons from fundamental adsorbent and adsorbate properties. To systematically evaluate pore structure and surface chemistry effects on the adsorption of organic micropollutants from aqueous solution, a matrix of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) with three activation levels and four surface chemistry levels was prepared and characterized. In addition, three commercially available granular activated carbons (GACs) were studied to verify whether correlations developed for the ACF matrix are valid for adsorbents that are typically used for water treatment. BET surface area, pore size distribution, elemental composition, point of zero charge and infrared spectroscopy data were obtained to characterize the adsorbents. The results showed that the ACF matrix prepared in this study permits a fairly independent evaluation of surface chemistry and pore structure effects on organic contaminant adsorption from aqueous solution. Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a relatively hydrophilic adsorbate, and trichloroethene (TCE), a relatively hydrophobic adsorbate, served as adsorbate probes. To evaluate the effects of natural organic matter (NOM) on MTBE and TCE adsorption capacities, isotherm experiments were conducted in ultrapure water and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water. With respect to surface chemistry, both single-solute isotherms and isotherms in the presence of NOM indicated that hydrophobic adsorbents more effectively removed TCE and MTBE from aqueous solution than hydrophilic adsorbents. Enhanced water adsorption on polar surface sites explained the poorer performance of the hydrophilic adsorbents. Based on the elemental composition of the low-ash carbons evaluated in this study, act.

High surface area, a microporous structure, and a high degree of surface reactivity make activated carbons versatile adsorbents, particularly effective in the adsorption of organic and inorganic pollutants from aqueous solutions. Activated Carbon Adsorption introduces the parameters and mechanisms involved in the activated carbon adsorption