Bottlenecks restricting the use of powdered activated carbon

According to our research, the use of powdered activated carbon adsorption technology in water plants is a very promising technology. However, due to the failure to properly handle the limitations of this technology in terms of application, it is difficult to give full play to the advantages of powdered activated carbon technology, resulting in the inability to achieve practical results. The use of this technology in water plants must address two major issues: theoretical basis and application.
Issues that should be addressed in theory
(1) Determine the type of powdered activated carbon to be added based on the water quality of the water plant's raw water, especially the distribution of the molecular weight of organic matter.
(2) Determine a reasonable and economical dosage based on the actual water quality of the water plant.
(3) Determine an appropriate and reasonable addition point and method based on the existing production process of the water plant to resolve the contradiction between the adsorption competition between powdered activated carbon and coagulant and improve the efficiency of powdered activated carbon.
Under the same conditions, different types of powdered activated carbon have different abilities to adsorb and treat organic matter (the removal rate differs by 16%). Similarly, according to the characteristics of the water treatment process of the water plant, the influence of different dosing points is also relatively large. This is mainly due to the characteristics of the raw water and the results of the competition between coagulation and adsorption. The dosage should be determined in the project application based on the target expected value (ex-plant water CODMn) and the operating cost.
As an emergency measure, the addition of powdered activated carbon has been tested in some water plants, but the application results of this technology are mixed. Research shows that according to the actual conditions of the water plant, it is necessary to explore the appropriate methods to solve the above three problems; especially for different treatment process flows, it is very important to choose a reasonable dosing point and dosing method. Therefore, in the application of this technology, sufficient attention must be paid to economically and effectively exert the effect of powdered activated carbon in removing pollution.