Synthetic adsorbents and activated carbons for water treatment: overview and experimental comparisons

Abstract

The first of a two‐part series evaluating alternative adsorbents for removal of trace organics from water supplies, this paper presents an overview of previous work and an experimental comparison of representative granular activated carbons and eight of the more promising synthetic adsorbents for adsorption of selected classes of organic compounds. Particular emphasis is placed on comparative equilibrium performance. The second part of the series provides a statistical analysis of the comparative data and an interpretation of factors controlling the performance characteristics of adsorbents for water treatment applications.