PAC/UF processes: Current application, potentials, bottlenecks and fundamentals: A Review

The increase of human population and activity is leading to localized discrepancies in water demand and fresh water availability in arid and highly populated areas. Combined with stricter water regulations this development has already and will continue to pose higher demands on water treatment technologies and their efficiencies. Activated carbon adsorption has been successfully applied to remove a broad range of dissolved molecules in various applications while porous membrane processes are typically applied to retain suspended particles. The combination of both processes promises superior product water quality and improved process stability. However, improved process performance and water quality is not a given for all combinations of adsorption and porous membrane filtration but rather depending on a variety of different influencing factors. This review provides a comprehensive overview on these influencing factors by careful analysis of the available literature, covering aspects from adsorption mechanisms and membrane fouling phenomena over differences in process configurations as well as water composition. Thereby, the review aims to broaden the knowledge and understanding of the process combination with respect to optimal process configuration and long term operation for best process performance and further contribution towards the technical realization of the process combination for other treatment tasks.