Repeated Reductive and Oxidative Treatments of Granular Activated Carbon
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 2
Abstract
Fenton oxidation and reductive treatment solutions were applied to granular activated carbon (GAC) to chemically regenerate the adsorbent. No adsorbate was present on the GAC so physicochemical effects from chemically aggressive regeneration could be distinguished from the potential effects of accumulation of reaction byproducts. Fifteen sequential oxidation treatments with hydrogen peroxide and fifteen sequential reduction/oxidation treatments with hydroxylamine and on Fe-amended GAC were evaluated. The GAC Iodine number, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, microporosity, and total porosity declined with sequential treatments, but meso- and macroporosity essentially remained unchanged. Similar changes in Iodine number, surface area, and pore volume distribution suggest that the effects of treatment are functionally dependent on oxidation and independent of hydroxylamine reduction. An inverse relationship was established between the number of chemical treatments and contaminant (methyl tert-butyl ether, 2-chlorophenol, trichloroethylene) adsorption. Loss in sorptive capacity was attributed to the combined and undifferentiated effects of reductions in microporosity and surface area, alterations in surface chemistry (overabundance of surface oxides), and to a lesser degree, micropore blockage by iron oxides.
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Acknowledgments
The writers acknowledge S. Beach, M. Blankenship, Dr. D. Fine, Dr. G. Jungclaus, Dr. W. Lyon, A. Mitchell, L. Pennington, Dr. B. Pivetz, Dr. J. Qian, and Dr. N. Xu (ManTech Environmental Research Services Corp., Ada, Okla.), and D. Rushing (East Central University, Ada, OK) for their invaluable assistance.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 131 • Issue 2 • February 2005
Pages: 287 - 297
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 18, 2003
Accepted: Dec 30, 2003
Published online: Feb 1, 2005
Published in print: Feb 2005
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