Biological degradation of dissolved organic carbons and ammonia oxidation by biological activated carbon in PAC and membrane applied process

Abstract Membrane filtration process has been developed to overcome the weakness of conventional water treatment process for the removal of particulates and some pathogens such as cryptosporidium and giardia. Although suspended particulate, including pathogens and bacteria, can be effectively removed by membrane, the trace organics and soluble matters are hard to remove. To overcome this limitation, membrane filtration is required to be associated with other technologies such as adsorption and oxidation. PAC membrane retrofitting (PMR) process is one of the new processes for removing not only particulate but also soluble matters. PMR process consists of a coarse powder-activated carbon (C-PAC) contactor and a subsequent submerged membrane tank. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) with high concentrations of 30,000 mg L−1 is suspended as a slurry blanket in the PAC contactor and soluble matters are removed by the slurry blanket. Most particulates are separated by the membrane. Membrane module used in this stud...