Adsorption of EDCs/PPCPs from drinking water by submicron-sized powdered activated carbon

Abstract

For the purpose of enhancing the adsorption of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) and Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) from drinking water, commercially available powdered activated carbon (PAC, 40 μm) was further ground to produce submicron-sized powdered activated carbon (SPAC, 0.72 μm). Compared with PAC, the surface area and total pore volume of SPAC were improved. Kinetics data showed that the adsorption of EDCs/PPCPs by SPAC was faster than that by PAC. The adsorption processes of two target EDCs/PPCPs on both SPAC and PAC could be fitted by the pseudo-second order kinetics model. The Langmuir equation described the adsorption isotherm well and the maximum adsorption capacity of SPAC for bisphenol A and carbamazepine could be calculated as 320.54 and 133.33 μg/mg respectively. © IWA Publishing 2011.