A kinetics study of the treatment of groundwater using commercial activated carbon

Abstract

The kinetics of groundwater purification obtained from Irrua, Esan Central LGA, Edo State, Nigeria is examined by running the sample at different flow rates through a sediment filter with a commercial granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorbent/filter encapsulated in a cartridge at room temperature. The physicochemical parameters of untreated and treated water samples were determined following standard methods for water and wastewater analysis. Their kinetics were examined using the Lagergren Pseudo First Order as well as Pseudo Second Order models respectively, and their volumetric flow rates rationalized with water quality parameters (DO, COD and BOD). BOD5 results shows that its treatments adequately fits the Pseudo Second Order model with correlation coefficient of 0.967 as against the Pseudo First Order model with a correlation coefficient of 0.578, while treatment of COD fits the Pseudo First Order model having obtain a correlation coefficient of 0.989 as against 0.928 for Pseudo Second Order model. As flow rate decreas es, COD and BOD5 decreases, while DO increases as a result of adsorption. The optimum flow rate determined for groundwater is 111cm3 /min which is in consonance with the contaminant load of the groundwater.