Removal of oil and grease contamination from stream water using the granular activated carbon block filter

Abstract

Most sources of oil and grease (O&G) are insoluble in water. Because the specific gravity of O&G is lower than water, it floats on the top surface. The presence of O&G may have adverse impact on water resources management. Activated carbon can remove O&G from water by adsorption process. Still the use of physical models to adsorb O&G from stream water needs to be verified. This study proposes the mathematical models for adsorption of O&G from stream water using the granular activated carbon block filter (GACBF). The parameters in equations are all physically meaningful, and the experimental data validation shows that the equations are sufficiently accurate. The proposed models to calculate the accumulation rate, lifetime, and adsorption capacity for the adsorption of O&G onto GACBF from Ulu Pontian River water are presented to contribute to clean technology and environmental contamination investigation and assessment.