Granular Activated Carbon and Preozonated Granular Activated Carbon Treatment for Biologically and Physically-Chemically Treated Wastewater Effluents

Abstract

The Duck Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is a combined municipal-industrial wastewater treatment facility serving a municipal population of over 200,000 and an industrial community of over 600 various light industries. This 30 MGD treatment facility operates in a split-stream mode, with 7.5 MGD treated by biological processes and 22.5 MGD treated by physical-chemical processes. Final treatment for both systems is supposed to consist of granular activated carbon treatment and chlorine disinfection. Problems in operation and implementation of the granular activated carbon systems for the combined biological and physical-chemical treatment effluents prompted The University of Texas at Dallas to design and construct a pilot plant facility composed of 5 pilot plant systems. This facility provides for evaluation of granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment and preozonated granular activated carbon (POGAC) treatment for biologically, physically-chemically, and blended (biologically and physically-chemically) treated wastewater effluents simultaneously. The UTD-Duck Creek Pilot Plant Facility has been operating since November, 1979, demonstrating the improved operation and treatment efficiency of preozonated granular activated carbon treatment for biologically, physically-chemically, and blended wastewater effluents. In addition to improved treatment efficiency demonstrated by the preozonated granular activated carbon systems, average operational life prior to bed exhaustion was extended from an average 70 days for GAC to over 300 operational days for POGAC.