Removal of organic micropollutants and trace metal from water using modified activated carbons

Pollution of water by herbicides and heavy metals has caused world wide concern because of the adverse effects of these pollutants on the environment, humans and wildlife. This has resulted in tighter legislation being imposed on the levels of these pollutants in drinking water. For example, the European Union (EU) has set the legislation in the drinking water Directive Admissible Concentration for a single herbicide to a maximum of 0.1 ppb. Despite the tight environmental pollution controls, isolated cases of pollutants exceeding their limits are still encountered. This would suggest that research towards the efficient and effective removal of these pollutants will be an on-going process. In this study, sorption of copper and some selected herbicides e.g. atrazine, benazolin and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was undertaken on a conventional activated carbon and its modified series. A low level detection method was developed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and this system was used to quantify the sorption capacity of the herbicides. In order to understand the sorption mechanism of the targeted pollutants, physical and chemical characterisation of the adsorbents was undertaken using a variety of techniques. These include, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) method, pore size distribution and surface area measurements, elemental analysis, sodium capacity determination, zeta potential and pH titration. The sorption data were presented and analysed by conventional adsorption isotherms. Sorption of the herbicides was favoured on carbon samples with least oxygen content while the uptake of copper was strongest in oxidised carbons. Kinetic experimental data were analysed by a pseudo second order model and the Boyd kinetic model. Molecular structural configurations and the physico-chemical properties of the adsorbent played a crucial role in the sorption behaviour of the herbicides.