Adsorption of humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) by commerical activated carbon (F400) and novel tailoring activated carbons was studied. The adsorption ability of activated carbon is largely due to pore size distribution (PSD). To improve the adsorption kinetics and capacity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) (5-60�), firstly two kinds of activated carbons with high mesoporosity and BET surface area were created from bituminous coal by KOH chemical activation. In addition, the presence of acidic functional groups and negative surface charge on activated carbon repel adsorption of HA and FA, which is also negatively charged. Thus four tailored activated carbons were further developed using outgassing and manganese impregnation to enhance surface chemistry. Tremendous higher rates of adsorption were found for the tailored activated carbons as compared to F400, indicating optimal PSD, yet the overall adsorption capacity was impacted by surface chemistry as was seen from the isotherm data.

Novel tailoring activated carbons for enhanced removal of natural organic matter

244th National Meeting (2012)

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