Isotope microscopy visualization of the adsorption profile of 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin in powdered activated carbon.

Decreasing the particle size of powdered activated carbon may enhance its equilibrium adsorption capacity for small molecules and micropollutants, such as 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin, as well as for macromolecules and natural organic matter. Shell adsorption, in which adsorbates do not completely penetrate the adsorbent but instead preferentially adsorb near the outer surface of the adsorbent, may explain this enhancement in equilibrium adsorption capacity. Here, we used isotope microscopy and deuterium-doped MIB and geosmin to directly visualize the solid-phase adsorbate concentration profiles of MIB and geosmin in carbon particles. The deuterium/hydrogen ratio, which we used as an index of the solid-phase concentration of MIB and geosmin, was higher in the shell region than in the inner region of carbon particles. Solid-phase concentrations of MIB and geosmin obtained from the deuterium/hydrogen ratio roughly agreed with those predicted by shell adsorption model analyses of isotherm data. The direct visualization of the localization of micropollutant adsorbates in activated carbon particles provided direct evidence of shell adsorption.

Adsorption capacities of activated carbons for geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol vary with activated carbon particle size: Effects of adsorbent and adsorbate characteristics.

The adsorption capacities of nine activated carbons for geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) were evaluated. For some carbons, adsorption capacity substantially increased when carbon particle diameter was decreased from a few tens of micrometers to a few micrometers, whereas for other carbons, the increase of adsorption capacity was small for MIB and moderate for geosmin. An increase of adsorption capacity was observed for other hydrophobic adsorbates besides geosmin and MIB, but not for hydrophilic adsorbates. The parameter values of a shell adsorption model describing the increase of adsorption capacity were negatively correlated with the oxygen content of the carbon among other characteristics. Low oxygen content indicated low hydrophilicity. The increase of adsorption capacity was related to the hydrophobic properties of both adsorbates and activated carbons. For adsorptive removal of hydrophobic micropollutants such as geosmin, it is therefore recommended that less-hydrophilic activated carbons, such as coconut-shell-based carbons, be microground to a particle diameter of a few micrometers to enhance their equilibrium adsorption capacity. In contrast, adsorption by hydrophilic carbons or adsorption of hydrophilic adsorbates occur in the inner pores, and therefore adsorption capacity is unchanged by particle size reduction.

Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol removal using superfine powdered activated carbon: shell adsorption and branched-pore kinetic model analysis and optimal particle size.

2-Methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin are naturally occurring compounds responsible for musty-earthy taste and odor in public drinking-water supplies, a severe problem faced by many utilities throughout the world. In this study, we investigated adsorptive removal of these compounds by superfine powdered activation carbon (SPAC, particle size <1 µm) produced by novel micro-grinding of powdered activated carbon; we also discuss the optimization of carbon particle size to efficiently enhance the adsorptive removal. After grinding, the absorptive capacity remained unchanged for a 2007 carbon sample and was increased for a 2010 carbon sample; the capacity increase was quantitatively described by the shell adsorption model, in which MIB and geosmin adsorbed more in the exterior of a carbon particle than in the center. The extremely high uptake rates of MIB and geosmin by SPAC were simulated well by a combination of the branched-pore kinetic model and the shell adsorption model, in which intraparticle diffusion through macropores was followed by diffusion from macropore to micropore. Simulations suggested that D40 was on the whole the best characteristic diameter to represent a size-disperse group of adsorbent particles; D40 is the diameter through which 40% of the particles by volume pass. Therefore, D40 can be used as an index for evaluating the improvement of adsorptive removal that resulted from pulverization. The dose required for a certain percentage removal of MIB or geosmin decreased linearly with carbon particle size (D40), but the dose reduction became less effective as the activated carbon was ground down to smaller sizes around a critical value of D40. For a 60-min contact time, critical D40 was 2-2.5 µm for MIB and 0.4-0.5 µm for geosmin. The smaller critical D40 was when the shorter the carbon-water contact time was or the slower the intraparticle mass transfer rate of an adsorbate was.