Assessment of Trace Estrogenic Contaminants Removal by Coagulant Addition, Powdered Activated Carbon Adsorption and Powdered Activated Carbon/Microfiltration Processes
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Date
2004Author
Chang, Sheng
Waite, T. David
Ong, Peter E. A.
Schäfer, Andrea
Fane, Anthony G.
Metadata
Abstract
Increasing attention is being paid to health and environmental risk as a result of the
presence of trace steroid estrogens in the effluent discharged from municipal sewage treatment
plants. This paper focuses on assessment of removal of these trace compounds using 3H-labelled
estrone as the model compound. Jar tests over a range of ferric chloride dosage and pH conditions
showed that coagulation was ineffective in removal of estrone from secondary effluent. The
experiments showed that the combination of PAC and microfiltration could be effective for removal
of trace estrone from water. The rate and extent of estrone removal by PAC are functions of PAC
dosage and retention time of PAC in the system. Mathematical analysis of the results using a
homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSMD) indicates that the adsorption of estrone on PAC can
be limited by film diffusion and internal surface diffusion. The surface and film mass transfer
coefficients were determined to be 9.72 x 10-10 cm2/min and 1.963 cm/min, respectively, under the
conditions used.