The Release of Particles from GAC Filter-Adsorbers and Their Effect on Disinfection
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 27, 2019
- Creator
-
Mallon, Kathryn L.
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Abstract
- Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filter-adsorbers can be an effective process for the removal of organic compounds in the treatment of drinking water. They have also been shown to provide a favorable environment for microbial activity. A consequence of the attachment of microorganisms to the GAC surface is the release of particle-attached organisms into the product water of the filter-adsorbers. Previous research has shown that attachment of organisms to surfaces can provide a mode for microbial survival during disinfection. A pilot plant consisting of three GAC filter-adsorbers was constructed to examine the impact of GAC filtration, and its associated microbial growth, on product water quality. Of primary interest was the disinfection efficiency of microorganisms attached to particles released from the filter-adsorbers. The results indicated that the GAC filter-adsorbers produced extremely high quality water as measured by turbidity and gravimetric analysis. The filter-adsorbers shed a significant concentration of microorganisms (10,000 HPC/mL); however only a very small percentage of these organisms were found to be attached to particles (0.01 to 0.05%). In addition, organisms attached to particles were found to be effectively disinfected at chlorine dosages common to water treatment plants. Resistance to disinfection of attached organisms was only noticed in experiments conducted in solutions of particle concentrations unrealisitic of an actual drinking water treatment plant (> 1 mg/L particles).
- Date of publication
- December 1990
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Advisor
- Singer, Philip
- Pfaender, Frederic K.
- DiGiano, Francis A.
- Degree
- Master of Science in Environmental Engineering
- Academic concentration
- Water Resources Engineering
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 1990
- Language
- Deposit record
- ad7e9272-7c4f-43e0-afeb-7a5f2526ad76
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