Reducing the concentration of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in treated drinking water

This study focuses on reducing the concentration of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in treated drinking water. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of AOC removal by biological activated carbon filters (BACF) in a pilot-scale system. The measured values of AOC in treated drinking water were approximately 59.0 ± 8.6 μg acetate-C/L. The results show that BACFs reduce the total concentration of AOC. The concentration of AOC primarily indicates microbial growth in a water supply network, and the amount of AOC in the water is significantly reduced after BACF treatment. After BACF treatment, the removal of AOC was approximately 58% after 40 min of empty-bed contact time. An AOC empirical equation was established by determining the relationship between water quality parameters, such as total organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, UV254, ammonia nitrogen, and total phosphorous.