• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.410-416
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• 2018

This experiment was carried out with the purpose of testing nickel and copper adsorption abilities of multi wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and activated carbon. In the acidic condition, only MWCNT was effective for removing nickel and copper ion in the aqueous phase while activated carbon rarely remove them. The MWCNT and heavy metals adsorption reaction followed pseudo-first order kinetic. When the initial pH value was neutral (pH=7), nickel was rapidly removed by MWCNT and activated carbon in 4 hr (99.02 %, 80.30 %). Also, copper ion was rapidly removed by both adsorbents in 4 hr when the initial pH was 7 (100 %, 99.73 %). Increasing of adsorbent dosages affect the pH evolution and heavy metal ions removal (0 ~ 99%). Also, oxidation pretreatment enhanced the adsorption efficiency of MWCNT.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.263-271
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• 2018

In this study, we analyzed the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen and phosphate dependant on the column depths using various absorbents such as zeolite silica sand, and activated carbon through the column test. In addition, we analyzed electrochemical adsorption behaviors of ammonia nitrogen and phosphate through the quantum mechanical calculation based on density functional theory calculation. Experimental results represent the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen and phosphate are zeolite > activated carbon > silica sand, and activated carbon > zeolite > silica sand, respectively. Zeolite shows high adsorption property for ammonia nitrogen over 90%, regardless of the column depth, while activated carbon exhibits high adsorption property for both ammonia nitrogen and phosphate as the column depth for filter media increases. Theoretical findings using DFT calculation for the adsorption behaviors of adsorbents (activated carbon and silica sand) and nutrients ($PO_4{^{3-}}$, $NH_4{^{+}}$) show that activated carbon represented narrower HOMO-LUMO band gap with high adsorption energy, and even more favorable environment for electron adsorption than silica sand, which leads to the effective removal of nutrients.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.583-589
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• 2009

Activated carbon has long been used in purification processes for indoor air quality. However, the bioaerosol removal by activated carbon is not often sufficient to be used in an air control devise. In order to overcome these problems, silver nano-particles have been proposed as an antibacterial agent on the surface of activated carbon. Silver or silver ions have been known for antimicrobial activities. In this study, bioaerosol generated by using an Escherichia coli culture was introduced to a lab-scale column packed with activated carbon (AC) and silver nano-particles attached to activated carbon (Ag-AC). E. coli was almost completely removed in the Ag-AC column, whereas bioaerosol penetrated through the AC column. To determine the antibacterial effect of different filter materials in a full-scale air-handling system, another experiment was conducted using a wind tunnel equipped with a heat exchanger and three filter materials including commercial fabric, AC and Ag-AC. It was found that E. coli proliferated on the surface of the heat exchanger after 5 days, which dramatically increased bioaerosol counts in the effluent air stream. The fabric filter could not control the increased bioaerosol and most of the E. coli penetrated the filter. The bacterial removal efficiency was found to be approximately 45% in the AC filter, while the antibacterial efficiency increased to 70% using the Ag-AC filter. Consequently, the Ag-AC filter can be an effective method to control bioaerosol and improve indoor air quality.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2007

We have studied NOM(natural organic matters) adsorption and biodegradation on 3 kinds of activated carbon and a anthracite. Coal based activated carbon showed the highest DOC(dissolved organic carbon) adsorption capability and roconut(samchully), wood (pica) in the order among the 3 kinds of activated carbon(F400). The biomass amount and activity also showed on coal, wood and coconut based activated carbon in the order. Over 15 minutes EBCT(empty bed contact time) needed to achieve 10 to 17% average removal efficiency and $18\sim24%$ maximum removal efficiency of NOM biodegradation in biofilter using anthracite. Hydrophobic and below 10,000 dalton NOM was much easier to adsorb into the activated carbon than hydrophilic NOM, THMFP(trihalomethane formation potential) and BDOC (biodegradable dissolved organic carbon)$_{slow}$ were much easier than HAA5FP(haloacetic acid 5 formation potential) and $BDOC_{rapid}$ to adsorb into the activated carbon. Hydrophilic and below 1,000 dalton NOM was much easily biodegraded and HAA5FP and $BDOC_{rapid}$ was easier than THMFT and $BDOC_{slow}$ to biodegrade in the biofilter.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 2001

To treat piggery wastewater containing refractory compounds including nitrogen, physical treatments using zeolite and biological processes were investigated. In biogical treatment, the removal efficiencies of organics and nitrogen in bioreador using BACC (Biological Activated Carbon Cartridge) media filled with granule activated carbon were examined. The best removal efficiencies achieved for TKN and COD(sub)cr were 82% and 53% respectively, when zeolite dosage was 300 g/L. Specific nitrogen removal ability was 3.2 mg/g at a zeolite dosage of 50 g/L, whereas specific nitrogen removal ability was 1.8 mg/g at a zeolite dosage of 300 g/L. The increased of C/N ratio resulting from the removal of nitrogen using zeolite led to an increase in removal efficiency of organics. As C/N ratio was increased to 2.0, 2.44 and 6.58 at a HRT of 48 hours in a BACC bioreactor, removal efficiencies of COD(sub)cr were increased to 53.5%, 57.4% and 80.6%. The removal efficiency of wastewater using a zeolite dosage of 399 g/L was increased by 27.1% compared to that of control treatment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.237-247
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• 2012

This study assessed the removal characteristics of taste and odor causing compounds (2-methylisoborneol and geosmin) and organic matters, using a pilot-scale ozone/granular activated carbon ($O_{3}$/GAC) process treating surface water of Pal-dang reservoir in the Han river over a 3-month period. Experiments were conducted to verify the removal efficiency of $O_{3}$/GAC process which has two different empty bed contact time (EBCT) ($O_{3}$/GAC column 1 : 10 min and 2 : 15.1 min) with 10.86 min contact time of ozonation at 1.0 mg/L $O_{3}$. Spiking test using geosmin and 2-MIB was also conducted systematically to mimic the conditions when the algae appears, specifically at the levels similar to the concentrations experienced (geosmin: 250 ng/L) in the winter of 2011. In single ozonation process, organic materials, disinfection by-products (DBPs) and their precursors were disassembled but not removed completely. Meanwhile, it was verified that organic matters, taste and odor causing compounds, and DBPs were well removed when sequentially passing through the GAC process. The pilot results also showed that GAC column with larger EBCT achieved higher removal efficiency. Specifically, in spiking tests, single $O_{3}$ process showed approximately 89% removal efficiency of geosmin and 2-MIB. $O_{3}$/GAC combined process demonstrated excellent removal of geosmin and 2-MIB, which are higher than 95%.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.379-386
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• 2014

Adsorption and biodegradation performance of tetracycline antibiotic compounds such as ttetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), minocycline (MNC), chlortetracycline (CTC), doxycycline (DXC), meclocycline (MCC), demeclocycline (DMC) on granular activated carbon (GAC) and anthracite-biofilter were evaluated in this study. Removal efficiency of seven tetracycline antibiotic compounds showed 54%~97% by GAC adsorption process (EBCT: 5~30 min). The orders of removal efficiency by GAC adsorption were tetracycline, demeclocycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, doxytetracycline, meclocycline and minocycline. Removal efficiencies of seven tetracycline antibiotic compounds showed 1%~61% by anthracite biofiltration process (EBCT: 5~30 min). The highest biodegradable tetracycline antibiotic compound was minocycline, and the worst biodegradable tetracycline antibiotic compounds were oxytetracycline and demeclocycline.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.283-288
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• 2019

Catalytic removal of sulfur compounds from heavy naphtha (HN) was investigated using a combination of an oxidation process using hydrogen peroxide and an adsorption process using granulated activated carbon (GAC) and white eggshell (WES). This study investigated the impact of changing several operating parameters on the desulfurization efficiency. Specifically, the volume ratio of $H_2O_2$ to HN (0.01~0.05), agitation speed ($U_{speed}$) of the water bath shaker ($100-500{\pm}1rpm$), pH of sulfur solution (1~5), amount of adsorbent (0.1~2.5 g), desulfurization temperature ($25{\sim}85{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) and contact time (10~180 minutes) were examined. The results indicate that the desulfurization efficiency resulting from catalytic and adsorption processes of GAC is better than that of WES for oxidation and removing sulfur compounds from HN due to its high surface area. The desulfurization efficiency depends strongly on all investigated operating parameters. The maximum removal efficiency of GAC and WES achieved by this study was 86 and 65, respectively.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2008

The adsorption and reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) by surface modified activated carbon (AC) in an aqueous solution was studied. The effects of surface modifications on the properties of the carbons were investigated by the analysis of specific surface area, carbon surface pH, acid/base surface values and functional groups. In order to understand the Cr(VI) adsorption and reduction ratio from Cr(VI) to Cr(III), the Cr adsorption capacity of AC was also measured and discussed by using inductively coupled plasma and UV spectrophotometer. The modifications bring about substantial variation in the chemical properties whereas the physical properties such as specific surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution nearly were not changed. Total Cr adsorption efficiency of as-received activated carbon (R-AC) and nitric acid treated activated carbon (N1-AC and N2-AC) were recorded on 98.2, 99.7 and 100%. Cr(III) reduction efficiency of R-AC increased largely from 0.4% to 28.3% compared to N1-AC and N2-AC.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.606-610
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate rotating biological activated carbon(RBAC) process for nitrogen and phosphorus removal with increasing loading rate. The removal efficiency of $NH_4^+$-N was observed to be higher than 96.5% at all runs, and the relative stable levels of effluent $NH_4^+$-N, $NO_2^-$-N, $NO_3^-$-N could be maintained. The removal efficiency of T-N was observed to be higher than 90%, except RUN 1. The T-P removal efficiency was kept between 32.7% and 49.8%, and the amount of biomass was kept between 269 mg/g support and 473 mg/g support with varying loading rate.