Abstract
Batch adsorption experiments using powdered activated carbon (PAC) and submicron-powdered activated carbon (S-PAC) were conducted for natural organic matter (NOM), polystyrene sulfonates (PSS) and polyethylene glycols (PEG). Pulverization of PAC to submicron size increased adsorption capacity of NOM. Increase in adsorption capacity tended to be substantial for compounds with higher molecular weight, but highly depended on the type of compounds. The homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSDM) simulation revealed that factors mainly contributing to the increase in adsorption kinetic with the pulverization also depended on the type of compounds: the predominant factor for PSS was the increase in adsorption capacity, whereas that for PEG was the increase in specifc surface area of the activated carbon.
