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Biofiltration performance: part 1, relationship to biomass
Author(s) -
Wang Jack Z.,
Summers R. Scott,
Miltner Richard J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1995.tb06465.x
Subject(s) - biofilter , anthracite , biomass (ecology) , pulp and paper industry , environmental science , coal , filter (signal processing) , environmental engineering , chemistry , environmental chemistry , ecology , biology , engineering , organic chemistry , electrical engineering
Many factors could account for the good performance of coal‐based GAC biofilters, including the quantity of biomass attached to the media. A phospholipid analytical technique was used to measure the amount of biomass attached to the surfaces of drinking water filter media. The method was reproducible and able to detect significant differences in biomass concentrations in different filters and at various depths within filters. The amount of attached biomass decreased as filter depth increased, suggesting that most removal of natural organic matter occurred at the top of the biofilters. The results show that granular activated carbon media were able to hold more biomass than were anthracite and sand media and that concentrations of biomass in anthracite‐sand filters were lower with chlorine in the backwash water.