Removal of bisphenols A and S by adsorption on activated carbon clothes enhanced by the presence of bacteria.

This study investigated the adsorption of two endocrine-disrupting chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA) and S (BPS), from water using activated carbon clothes (ACCs), as-received and oxidized, in the absence and presence of bacteria, analyzing both kinetic and equilibrium adsorption data. Kinetic study of the different systems showed that the adsorption rate was affected both by the oxidation of the adsorbent and by the presence of bacteria. Bisphenol adsorption kinetics followed a second-order kinetic model, with rate constants between 0.0228 and 0.0013 g min-1 mol-1. ACC was a much better adsorbent of E. coli compared to granular activated carbons, achieving 100% adsorption at 24 h. ACC oxidation reduced the adsorption capacity and the adsorbent-adsorbate relative affinity due to the decrease in carbon surface hydrophobicity. Conversely, the presence of bacteria in aqueous solution increased the ACC surface hydrophobicity and therefore enhanced the adsorption capacity of BPA and BPS on ACC, which was 33% and 24%, respectively. In all cases, more BPS than BPA was removed due to the greater dipolar moment of the former. Results found show that activated carbon clothes in the presence of bacteria can be an adequate process to remove bisphenol A and S from different aqueous systems.

Removal of the surfactant sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate from water by processes based on adsorption/bioadsorption and biodegradation.

This study analyzed the bioadsorption/biodegradation kinetics of the surfactant sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) on commercial activated carbons and on activated carbons prepared in the laboratory by activation of almond shells. The effect of surface oxygen species on these processes was also investigated by using an activated carbon from almond shells oxidized with H2O2 or HNO3. SDBS removal kinetics followed a first-order kinetic model, with rate constants between 1.25×10(-2) h(-1) and 2.14×10(-2) h(-1). The removal rate constants of total organic carbon (TOC) were also determined, obtaining values ranging between 0.51×10(-2) h(-1) and 1.76×10(-2) h(-1). TOC removal rate constants were lower than SDBS removal rate constants, demonstrating that SDBS is also biodegraded during bioadsorption. Both the inorganic carbon concentration and the colony forming units confirm this biodegradation. The amount of SDBS removed from water varies between 109.0 and 232.3 mg SDBS/g of carbon. When SDBS adsorption on activated carbon is conducted in the presence of bacteria, which is the real situation in water treatment plants, a fraction of bacteria are adsorbed on the surface of activated carbon. A part of the SDBS is removed by adsorption (bioadsorption) and other part by biodegradation.