Simultaneous activated carbon adsorption within a membrane bioreactor for an enhanced micropollutant removal

Significant adsorption of sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine to powdered activated carbon (PAC) was confirmed by a series of adsorption tests. In contrast, adsorption of these micropollutants to the sludge was negligible. The removal of these compounds in membrane bioreactor (MBR) was dependent on their hydrophobicity and loading as well as the PAC dosage. Sulfamethoxazole exhibited better removal rate during operation under no or low (0.1 g/L) PAC dosage. When the PAC concentration in MBR was raised to 1.0 g/L, a sustainable and significantly improved performance in the removal of both compounds was observed - the removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine increased to 82 ± 11% and 92 ± 15% from the levels of 64 ± 7%, and negligible removal, respectively. The higher removal efficiency of carbamazepine at high (1.0 g/L) PAC dosage could be attributed to the fact that carbamazepine is relatively more hydrophobic than sulfmethoxazole, which subsequently resulted in its higher adsorption affinity toward PAC.     

Incorporation of granular activated carbon in an immobilized membrane bioreactor for the biodegradation of phenol by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas putida</Emphasis>

Granular activated carbon (GAC) was incorporated into hollow fiber membrane bioreactors for the biodegradation of 1,000 mg phenol l⁻¹ through immobilization of Pseudomonas putida. The phenol was removed within 25 h in the hybrid bioreactor, comparing with 31 h for a GAC-free bioreactor. Sorption, biodegradation, desorption, and bioregeneration were four steps for the phenol removal during batch operation.     

Utilization of rice husks as a feedstock for preparation of activated carbon by microwave induced KOH and K2CO3 activation

Rice husk (RH), an abundant by-product of rice milling, was used for the preparation of activated carbon (RHAC) via KOH and K(2)CO(3) chemical activation. The activation process was performed at the microwave input power of 600 W for 7 min. RHACs were characterized by low temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption behavior was examined using methylene blue as adsorbate. The K(2)CO(3)-activated sample showed higher yield and better pore structures and adsorption capacity development than the KOH-activated sample, with a BET surface area, total pore volume and monolayer adsorption capacity of 1165 m(2)/g, 0.78 cm(3)/g and 441.52 mg/g, respectively. The results revealed the feasibility of microwave heating for preparation of high surface area activated carbons from rice husks via K(2)CO(3) activation.