Adsorption onto Fibrous Activated Carbon: Applications to Water Treatment

International audienceThe adsorption of polluted waters is performed by activated carbon fibers (ACF). This new material is characterized by scanning electronic microscopy. BET surface areas and pore volumes are determined. Adsorption of natural organics (humic substances) and micropollutants (aromatic compounds such as benzene and toluene) is carried out in a batch or dynamic reactor. Classical models are applied and kinetic constants calculated. The results show that the performance of ACF is significantly higher than that of granular activated carbon (GAC) in terms of adsorption velocity and selectivity for micropollutants. These higher performances are due to some ACF physical properties, such as their high BET surface area and micropore volume. Moreover, the micropores are directly connected on the external surface area of fibers, which allows smaller mass transfer resistance. In a dynamic reactor, the breakthrough curves obtained with ACF beds are particularly steep, suggesting a smaller mass transfer resistance than that of GAC. The adsorption zone in an ACF bed is about 3.5 mm and is not really dependent on the water flow rate within the studied range