Use of Granular Activated Carbon Columns for Lead Removal
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 120, Issue 2
Abstract
The use of granular activated carbon (GAC) columns to treat lead wastewaters was investigated. Synthetic wastewaters containing Pb (10 or 50 mg/ L), acetic acid (0.001 N) or EDTA (1:0.1 or 1:1 Pb:EDTA molar ratios) were studied. For lead‐only and lead‐acetic acid experiments significant quantities [70 to 325 bed volumes (BV)] of wastewater were treated prior to breakthrough ; were as high as about 30 mg Pb/g carbon. For EDTA experiments, was always . The amount of lead not removed corresponded to the amount that was complexed by EDTA. Column pH is the critical parameter influencing column performance. The increase in effluent Pb concentration corresponded with the decrease in column pH. GAC columns were successfully regenerated using a rinse followed by a rinse. Column performance was not adversely affected by regeneration. When the regeneration step was used on virgin carbon, a dramatic improvement in column performance was observed and was attributed to the increase in carbon surface and the deposition of OH− in the pore liquid. Possible removal mechanisms are precipitation of lead on the carbon surface, precipitation in the pore liquid, and adsorption (surface complexation).
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Arulanantham, A., Balasubramanian, N., and Ramakrishna, T. V. (1989). “Coconut shell carbon for treatment of cadmium and lead containing wastewater.” Metal Finishing, 87, 51–55.
2.
Bowers, A. R., and Huang, C. P. (1980). “Activated carbon processes for the treatment of chromium(VI) containing wastewaters.” Prog. Wat. Tech., 12, 629–650.
3.
Corapcioglu, M. O. (1984). “Adsorption characteristics of copper(II), lead(II), nickel(II), and zinc(II) onto the activated carbon surface in dilute aqueous solution: the effect of complex formation,” PhD dissertation, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.
4.
Corapcioglu, M. O., and Huang, C. P. (1987). “The adsorption of heavy metals onto hydrous activated carbon.” Water Res., 9(9), 1031–1044.
5.
Grosse, D. W. (1986). J. Air Pollution Control Assoc., 36, 683.
6.
Huang, C. P., and Ostovic, F. B. (1978). “Removal of cadmium(II) by activated carbon adsorption.” J. Envir. Engrg. Div., ASCE, 104(5), 863–878.
7.
Huang, C. P., and Smith, E. H. (1981). “Removal of Cd(II) from plating waste water by an activated carbon process.” Chemistry in water reuse Vol. 2, W. J. Cooper, ed., Ann Arbor Science Publishers Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich.
8.
Huang, C. P., and Wirth, P. K. (1982). “Activated carbon for treatment of cadmium wastewater.” J. Envir. Engrg. Div., ASCE, 108(6), 1280–1299.
9.
Netzer, A., and Hughes, D. E. (1984). “Adsorption of copper, lead, and cobalt by activated carbon.” Water Res., 18(8), 927–933.
10.
Reed, B. E. (1990). “Modeling cadmium adsorption on powdered activated carbon using the surface complex formation (SCF) model,” PhD dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
11.
Reed, B. E., and Matsumoto, M. R. (1991). “Modeling surface acidity of two powdered activated carbons: comparison of diprotic and monoprotic surface representations.” Carbon, 29(8), 1191–1201.
12.
Reed, B. E., and Matsumoto, M. R. (1993). “Modeling cadmium adsorption in single and binary adsorbent (powdered activated carbon) systems.” J. Envir. Engrg., ASCE, 119(2), 332–348.
13.
Reed, B. E., and Nonavinakere, S. K. (1992a). “Heavy metal adsorption by activated carbon: effect of complexing ligands, competing adsorbates, and ionic strength.” Separation Sci. and Technol., 27(14), 1985–2000.
14.
Reed, B. E., and Nonavinakere, S. K. (1992b). Review of activated carbon surface acidity. R. Peters and C. P. Huang, eds., American Chemical Society, New York, N.Y.
15.
Rubin, A. J., and Mercer, D. L. (1987). “Effect of complexation on the adsorption of cadmium by activated carbon.” Separation Sci. and Technol., 22(5), 1359–1381.
16.
Shay, M. A., and Etzel, J. E. (1992). “Treatment of metal‐containing wastewaters by carbon adsorption of metal‐chelate complexes.” Proc., 46th Purdue Industrial Waste Conf., Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Mich.
17.
Snoeyink, V. L., and Weber, W. J. (1967). “The surface chemistry of activated carbon.” Envir. Sci. and Technol., 1(3), 228–234.
18.
Stumm, and Morgan, J. (1981). Aquatic chemistry. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y.
19.
Wu, M. H., Hsu, D. Y., and Huang, C. P. (1976). “Regeneration of activated carbon for the adsorption of chromium.” Proc., 31st Purdue Industrial Waste Conf., Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Mich.
20.
Westall, J. C., Zachary, J. L., and Morel, F. M. M. (1976). “MINEQL: a computer program for the calculation of chemical equilibrium composition of aqueous systems.” Tech. Note No. 18, Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Mass.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 9, 1992
Published online: Mar 1, 1994
Published in print: Mar 1994
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.