Open AccessAssessment of bacterial growth and total organic carbon removal on granular activated carbon contactors
Author(s) -
K. Bancroft,
Stephen W. Maloney,
Jeanne McElhaney,
I. H. Suffet,
Wesley O. Pipes
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
applied and environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.552
H-Index - 324
eISSN - 1070-6291
pISSN - 0099-2240
DOI - 10.1128/aem.46.3.683-688.1983
Subject(s) - contactor , effluent , rotating biological contactor , total organic carbon , adsorption , chemistry , activated carbon , carbon fibers , liter , powdered activated carbon treatment , environmental chemistry , bacterial growth , chromatography , pulp and paper industry , environmental engineering , environmental science , bacteria , biology , materials science , organic chemistry , endocrinology , composite number , engineering , composite material , genetics , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , physics
The overall growth rate of bacteria on granular activated carbon (GAC) contactors at the Philadelphia Torresdale Water Treatment Pilot Plant facility was found to decrease until steady state was reached. The growth rate was found to fluctuate between 6.94 X 10(-3) and 8.68 X 10(-4) doublings per h. The microbiological removal of total organic carbon (TOC) was calculated by considering the GAC contactors as semiclosed continuous culture systems and using growth yield factors determined in laboratory experiments. After ozonation, the average TOC entering the contactors was 1,488 micrograms/liter, and the average effluent TOC was 497 micrograms/liter. Microbiological TOC removal was found to average 240 micrograms/liter on GAC contactors, which was not significantly different from microbiological TOC (220 micrograms/liter) removal across a parallel sand contactor where no adsorption took place. Thus, GAC did not appear to enhance biological TOC removal. Bacterial growth and maintenance was responsible for approximately 24% of the TOC removal on GAC under the conditions of this study.
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