Chapter 8 Adsorption of organic compounds onto activated carbon — applications in water and air treatments

Publisher Summary This chapter presents theoretical and practical approaches to organic removal by adsorption. The examples focus on water and air treatments. In air treatment, activated carbon is well known for a long time. Massive industrial production of this porous material is because of its significant utilization during wars for the protection of the individual against toxic gas. Filters are commonly employed to remove a large number of hazardous molecules and especially volatile organic compounds (VOC), odorous molecules or dioxins and furans present in industrial emissions. The applications are possible for a high concentration of pollutant to diluted air. These adsorption processes are carried out for the treatment of both industrial emissions and the domestic atmosphere. The installation design can account for an airflow between some m 3 h −1 to 100,000 m 3 h −1 .Electromagnetic induction heating has been recently studied to regenerate activated carbon filters without any contact between the heat source and the adsorbent. Foucault's currents induced by an alternative magnetic field generate the heat production.