Type of project: Secondary

Duration: 6 months

The research project focuses on adsorption/desorption phenomena observed in Active Carbon (AC) filters. These processes are fundamental to understand and optimize the removal of contaminants in water treatment. However, some crucial parameters present such low concentrations in the influent that their natural analysis is complicated, and the use of plant-scale doping would be economically unfeasible.

To overcome these limitations, the use of laboratory-scale fast columns is proposed. This approach allows a detailed and controlled analysis of adsorption/desorption processes, simulating the conditions of AC filters in DWTPs, but at a manageable and economically viable scale.

This project is a continuation of previous investigations in which certain limitations were detected due to the working conditions, so that the real operating conditions were not faithfully represented.

The main objective of the new phase of the project, which will be carried out on-site at CATABB, is to calibrate the columns to reproduce as closely as possible the performance of the CATABB filters. To achieve this, water will be passed through the column system continuously, periodically measuring both the inlet and outlet concentrations of the column.

The parameters to be analyzed include trihalomethanes (THM), total organic carbon (TOC) and UV absorbance, among others. This approach will allow studying the evolution of these parameters over time and under different operating conditions.

The research seeks to provide crucial data to optimize the design and operation of AC filters in DWTPs, improving the efficiency of contaminant removal and, therefore, the quality of drinking water.