Comparison of adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of four chlorinated organics from water onto GAC

This study deals with the adsorption of four chlorinated pollutants onto GAC (F-400) two pesticides (lindane and alachlor) and two PCB congeners: 2-PCB (MPCB) and 2,2',5,5'-PCB (TPCB). Equilibrium and kinetic parameters have been obtained for the adsorption of alachlor and each PCB, whereas the kinetic results for lindane presented elsewhere (Proc. First World Water Congr. Int. Water Assoc., Texts of Posters, CD-ROM, AGHTM, Paris, 2000) are reanalyzed in this work. A model assuming a bidisperse structure (macro- and micropores), each region having a different adsorption isotherm, is used to study the adsorption kinetics in a batch system in the period dominated by macropore diffusion. Both the saturation capacity and the rate of internal transport of TPCB are much lower than those of the other solutes. This difference is attributed to a chemisorption mechanism for this compound, which is favored by its very low solubility. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.