Marshall K. Davis

Removal of dissolved organic carbon using granular activated carbon

Abstract Granular activated carbon (GAC) is used to reduce disinfection by-products by removing dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The optimum empty bed contact time (EBCT) for a single adsorber was determined and the influence of parallel bed operation on GAC usage rate was examined using both pilot-plant data and mass transfer models. To describe the GAC performance using mass transfer models, the DOC was broken down into fictitious components, and individual fictive component equilibrium and mass transfer parameters were determined using bench scale laboratory studies. The complexities of model parameter determination are described and DOC removal in GAC pilot plants are compared to model predictions using parameters that were determined from bench scale scale tests.