ABSTRACT
Adsorption is used to remove select dissolved waste contaminants, usually organics, employing adsorbent materials such as activated carbon. A fixed bed carbon adsorption system is typical of industrial wastewater treatment systems. Wastewater flows through a vertical column containing activated carbon that adsorbs organics on a highly porous surface. After some time, the carbon bed starts losing its capacity and the effluent concentration approaches that of the influent, indicating that the carbon is spent. Adsorption systems are usually designed as continuous processes, configured for cocurrent or countercurrent application, and as a fixed or moving bed. The fixed bed carbon system is common in industrial wastewater treatment, but moving beds are employed for heavy waste loadings, or because of specific waste characteristics. In any adsorption system, performance is measured by contact time and carbon capacity. Adsorption performance is established by contact time and carbon dosage.
